Where will the ‘monster’ Kim Min-jae (Naples) go?
More and more eyes are paying attention to Kim Min-jae.스포츠토토On the 17th (Korean time), the US economic magazine Forbes published an article titled ‘Man Utd’s target is Kim Min-jae this summer’s bargain sale’. Forbes said, ‘Kim Min-jae’s buyout will be between 55 million and 65 million dollars. This is about the 10th of all previous English Premier League center back transfer fees, but considering the value of Kim Min-jae, it will be a good deal.” “Kim Min-jae is good at competing for the ball in the air, and he knows how to intercept the ball. He also has the passing ability to build up,’ he said. ‘Kim Min-jae is entering his prime as a defender. He needs little time to adjust to the English stage. He even received military service benefits. “It’s not risky to sign him,” he said.
Kim Min-jae’s future is a hot issue. Napoli won the thrilling league championship trophy in 33 years. It is the third time Napoli has won the championship since the 1986-1987 season and the 1989-1990 season when the ‘legend’ Diego Maradona was active. At the center was Kim Min-jae. Kim Min-jae was the first Korean to win the Scudetto. Kim Min-jae took the starting position from the first year of his entry, followed by a fantastic performance and led to the championship. Kim Min-jae has already become a hero in Naples. ‘Kim, Kim, Kim’ has become a common ‘buzzword’ in Naples. Based on the five European leagues, it is the third time that a Korean has won the championship trophy, after Park Ji-sung of Manchester United and Jung Woo-young of Bayern Munich. It is the first win as a defender. It is also the first time since AS Roma’s Hidetoshi Nakata in the 2000-2001 season that an Asian player won the Serie A title. Kim Min-jae even received the guard of owner, which is rare in Italy.
Kim Min-jae played a big role as the core of the team throughout the season. When ‘Legend’ Koulibaly left for Chelsea, Napoli recruited Kim Min-jae from Turkiye Fenerbahce to fill the void left by him. Napoli, convinced of Kim Min-jae’s success through scouting for a long time, paid a buyout of 20 million euros. There was no adaptation period for the monster who entered the big league for the first time. He was very active from the beginning of the season and quickly became the center of the team. In September of last year, Kim Min-jae was selected as the Serie A Player of the Month. Kim Min-jae was the first Asian national player to be selected as the Serie A Player of the Month, which was awarded from the 2019-2020 season.
With Kim Min-jae taking the center stage, Napoli recorded the fewest goals in the league this season. In particular, in the aggressive Luciano Spalletti style, Kim Min-jae achieved amazing results with aggressive defense. A relay of praise from legends such as Fabio Cannavaro and Alexandro Costacurta followed. He performed fantastically, to the point of being debated as the best centre-back in the world beyond Italy. It is even mentioned in the best 11 of all time in Naples. Unsurprisingly, he was also nominated for the Serie A Team of the Year this season. The award is likely.
Kim Min-jae ranked first in the ratings among Serie A defenders this season, and his personal ransom value also skyrocketed. Transfermarkt, which specializes in the market value of soccer players, sets the transfer fee for Kim Min-jae at 50 million euros (approximately 73.1 billion won). This is a figure that has doubled from 25 million euros in September last year, at the beginning of the season. In October 2021, when he was playing in Turkey, it was 6.5 million euros. He is second only to Son Heung-min (Tottenham), the ‘Asia No. 1’ who boasts 60 million euros.
Kim Min-jae, who has received attention from big clubs throughout the season with his amazing performance, seems to increase his value even more as he raises Napoli to the top. While connected to big clubs such as Man City, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Tottenham, Man United has recently been active. In the Italian and British media, ‘Man United are trying to ruin the Naples festival. Manchester United is stepping up efforts to sign Kim Min-jae. They rushed to publish reports stating that they could pay the buyout.
On the 16th (hereafter Korean time), Italian media Ilmatino reported that ‘only detailed coordination is left’. Ilmartino said, ‘Man United is on the verge of recruiting Kim Min-jae’ and ‘the club’s leadership and agent also persuaded Min-jae Kim to accept Man Utd’. Multiple British media even reported that ‘Kim Min-jae’s annual salary will be around 8 million euros’. Kim Min-jae draws a line, and the man trend is in an atmosphere of ending. Kim Min-jae said, “There has been no specific contact,” and “The 2022-2023 season is not over yet. The player focused only on winning the league this season. He was not shaken by continued rumors, and we also decided not to move until the end of the season. As much as it has been confirmed, we will watch the situation lightly.” “We know that Manchester United is interested,” he said. “Man United is currently in a complicated situation with the club acquisition, so it will be difficult to move quickly. Above all, Manchester United have not yet confirmed their participation in the European Champions League (UCL).” did.
First of all, it seems clear that Manchester United want Kim Min-jae. Man U sent scouts several times to watch Kim Min-jae. Manchester United, who transformed into the Eric ten Hag system this season, showed potential. He is preparing to rebuild again to win the league next season. The positions you want to reinforce are upfront, midfield and defence. Manchester United have Rafael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof. But they all have big and small weaknesses. It was not uncommon for left fullback Luke Shaw to stand in the center. Manchester United is thinking of clearing Harry Maguire and relieving defensive anxiety through Kim Min-jae. According to the cut-off side, Man United is said to be considering a three-back that leads to Baran-Martinez-Kim Min-jae. As Kim Min-jae has already been verified, it is expected that there will be no major problems in the starting position. British Express said, ‘The Glazer family is preparing the last parting gift to Ten Hagh, Kim Min-jae.’
Manchester United wants to confirm the proven Kim Min-jae recruitment early. Wallcle centerbacks are becoming more and more rare. Kim Min-jae has already been verified in the European Champions League. In the European Champions League, the war of stars, no striker has surpassed Kim Min-jae. But the situation is complicated. Because of the existence of the buyout. Kim Min-jae inserted a buyout when he joined Napoli last summer. Arenanapoli said, ‘Kim Min-jae’s contract has a buyout clause that allows him to leave Napoli this summer. For Chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis, it is a very real risk.” “Kim Min-jae can freely leave the club by exercising his option for two weeks from July 1st to 15th (only overseas). Kim Min-jae has a contract until 2025,” he said. “The buyout amount varies from 45 million euros (about 65 billion won) to 60 million euros (about 87 billion won). Price is linked to a parameter for the buyer’s turnover. If Manchester United actually approaches, it could be 58 million euros (84.5 billion won) as rumored.”
If he just calls out the buyout, he can become the winner of the match for Kim Min-jae. Given Kim Min-jae’s performance this season, it is a relatively cheap price. Because of this, many teams besides Manchester United are watching Kim Min-jae. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano said, “Newcastle also dispatched scouts for Kim Min-jae several times.” HITC said, ‘Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp also wants Kim Min-jae’. Backed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, Newcastle are second to none when it comes to money and are likely to play in the European Champions League next season. Liverpool must find a successor to Virgil van Dijk. Not only these. Recently, Chelsea proposed a 2-to-1 trade card with Christian Pulisic + Kalidou Koulibaly, and reports that Man City are actively stepping out continue. Napoli also want to stay.
Kim Min-jae’s side has no intention of moving quickly. All circumstances favor Kim Min-jae. Kim Min-jae’s side said, “Each league’s qualification for the European Champions League has not been decided, and the European Champions League schedule for this season has not been finalized. The situation can change rapidly depending on the results.” “There is a high possibility that the big clubs are paying attention. We also don’t like to move fast by nature.” In addition to the actual Manchester United, reports of Chelsea and Man City continue to come out.
Eventually, the outline is expected to be revealed only after June. Kim Min-jae plans to undergo military training in June. It is expected that the full-fledged activities will begin after the military training is over. Kim Min-jae’s side also sees this as a point. It was the same last summer, but this time it’s bigger. Kim Min-jae Saga ‘Season 2’