Kim Min-jae is reportedly on the transfer lists of Manchester United and Newcastle United.
Transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano said on Sept. 29 (KST), “Manchester United and Newcastle are interested in Kim Min-jae. His release clause expires in July.” He went on to report on Luciano Spalletti’s comments about Kim Min-jae. Spalletti said, “I want Kim to stay at Napoli. He is the best center back in the Italian Serie A,” Spalletti said.
Kim joined Fenerbahçe ahead of last season. It was his first season in Europe, but he quickly made his mark. A number of teams were interested in him, but a year after joining Fenerbahçe, he was approached by Napoli. At the time, Napoli were looking for a replacement for Kalidou Koulibaly and saw Kim as the best option.
Napoli were not wrong. Kim quickly proved his worth in Serie A, one of Europe’s top five leagues. He quickly earned a spot in the starting lineup and became a regular fixture, anchoring Napoli’s defense. Behind Kim, Napoli led the league all season, eventually lifting the trophy for the first time in 33 years after the 1989-90 season.
Naturally, Kim’s value skyrocketed. Today, his market value is €50 million (about $71.2 billion) according to soccer statistics site TransferMarkt. That’s twice as much as when he joined Napoli, and it’s the second highest among players in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after Son Heung-min, who is worth €60 million (approximately KRW 85.5 billion).
He has also been nominated for the Serie A Team of the Year. There are 13 nominees in the defensive category, with Kim earning a spot. Kim will be 메이저놀이터 up against the likes of Chris Smalling (AS Roma), Gleison Bremer (Juventus), Alessio Romagnoli (Lazio), Scalabini (Atalanta), Per Schurrle (Torino), and Federico Vaschirotto (Lecce).
There have also been transfer rumors. One of the teams that want Kim is Manchester United. The Red Devils are looking for a top-class player to compete with their current center backs, Lisandro Martinez and Rafael Varane. The likes of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof have been underwhelming, with Maguire possibly leaving this summer.
Another team in the English Premier League (EPL) is interested in Kim Min-jae. Newcastle. The Magpies have invested heavily in strengthening their squad since being acquired by the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund (PIF) and finished fourth in the league this season under Eddie Howe, earning them a spot in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) for the first time in many years.
Both United and Newcastle could offer Kim a similar deal. Both United, who finished third in the league, and Newcastle, who finished fourth, qualify for the UCL. They are also financially capable of paying Kim’s transfer fee. Currently, Kim’s contract has a buyout clause that is only valid for foreign clubs during the first two weeks of July. It’s worth around €60 million.
The EPL recently concluded with Manchester City winning the title. Now that the season is over, it’s time to start planning the transfer market ahead of the new season. Kim Min-jae will reportedly undergo basic military training in June. Discussions are expected to begin in earnest after that.