“Manchester United have been pursuing the signing of Kim Min-jae (26, Napoli) since October,” Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano reported exclusively to the UK’s Give Me Sports on Oct. 23 (KST).
Since joining Napoli ahead of this season,스포츠토토 Kim has been a revelation. His physicality and defensive intelligence allowed him to dominate opposing attackers in every game. He scored two goals and provided two assists in 44 appearances without any acclimatization. Napoli won the Italian Serie A title for the first time in 33 years thanks to Kim’s performance. They also reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) for the first time in their history.
United were quick to recognize the talent. According to Romano, they have been interested for seven months. He’s also currently their number one target for a defender. Kim Min-jae was an unknown quantity in Europe before joining Napoli, but he quickly impressed United with his ability to adapt. In September of last year, he was named Serie A Player of the Month. Since then, his name has spread across Europe.
In addition to a frontline striker, United are also looking to sign a central defender this summer. First-choice defender Lisandro Martinez is out with a long-term injury. Rafael Varane has a long list of nagging injuries. Harry Maguire and Viktor Lindelof are not considered first-choice options. As a result, the team has begun the process of signing Kim Min-Jae, who they have been monitoring.
However, the competition is stiff. Newcastle United, Liverpool (England), and Paris Saint-Germain (France) have also expressed interest in the player. They are the favorites in the race to sign him, but they won’t be able to rest easy until they finalize the deal.
Meanwhile, Kim’s buyout clause is reportedly around 50 million euros (about 708 million won). His contract with Napoli expires in the summer of 2025.
