“Fan-loved wall destined to turn blue and leave after a year” 伊媒, Kim Min-jae admits to Man Utd trend
Italian media have acknowledged that Kim Min-jae (27) is becoming increasingly distant from Napoli.
“Manchester United (Man Utd) has no plans to let go of Kim Min-jae,” Italy’s SportBuy claimed on the 27th (KST), adding, “The English club, which qualified for next season’s UEFA Champions League, is planning to sign Kim Min-jae, one of the players who has been part of Napoli’s incredible season and undoubtedly the key to Napoli’s title triumph”.
As the claim goes, Kim has been a key defender for Napoli, who won their first Serie A title in 33 years. He erased pre-season concerns by seamlessly filling the void left by Kalidou Koulibaly (32, Chelsea), who was deemed ‘irreplaceable’.스포츠토토
His price tag, which was only €18m when he joined Napoli from Fenerbahçe (Turkkiye) in July last year, has been matched by a buyout clause of between €50m and €60m ($71.2bn and $85.5bn). That’s more than three times as much.
“Last year, chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis and president Cristiano Giuntoli only finalised a deal for Kim Min-jae on the last day of the market. But it included a buyout clause that Kim’s camp wanted,” the outlet explained.
“Now, United will use that buyout clause to sign Kim, with Napoli unable to put up any resistance, by paying an estimated €58 million.”
The Red Devils are not alone in their pursuit of an offer that satisfies the buyout clause, which can only be triggered between 1 and 15 July, with other big clubs including Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Considered by some to be the “best defender in the world,” Kim Min-jae is actually worth more than 90 million euros ($128.2 billion) or 100 million euros ($142.5 billion). That’s practically the equivalent of a top striker.
Finally, the outlet acknowledges that Napoli may not be able to hold on to Kim, stating that “the South Korean wall, much loved by fans, seems destined to leave after just one season in the blue Napoli shirt”.