Manchester United and Manchester City are competing for Kim Min-jae.
Kim is enjoying one of his best seasons at Napoli. In his debut season in 2022-23, Kim quickly won the starting center back spot and was trusted by coach Luciano Spalletti to lead Napoli to great heights. In the end, Napoli clinched the title early with five league games remaining and won their first Scudetto in 33 years.
At the center of Napoli’s rise was Kim Min-jae. With his natural physicality, steady defense, and build-up play, Kim quickly became an integral part of the Napoli defense. He was even nominated for the league’s best player this season.
Since the beginning of the season, the Red Devils have been keeping a close eye on Kim, sending scouts to Napoli, and have recently been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United. On the 15th (Korean time), Italian media outlet Il Martino reported, “Kim Min-jae has agreed to join Man United. “The club is already in talks with the player, and brokers have convinced him to move to the English Premier League (EPL),” the Italian outlet reported.
The transfer rumors intensified day by day. On the 15th, Il Martino reported that Kim was heading to Man United, and on the 20th, it was reported that Kim had purchased a villa in Manchester. ‘Il Matino’ reported on the 20th, “Kim Min-jae’s deal with Manchester United appears to be virtually complete. Kim has already secured a luxury villa in the Alderley Edge neighborhood of Manchester. He has signed a contract with United for an annual salary of 9 million euros (approximately 12.9 billion won 먹튀검증).”
However, Man City has also joined the race. “Manchester City News,” a website that covers Man City news, reported, “Man City is one of the clubs monitoring Kim Min-jae’s situation at Napoli and is looking to offer him a new contract. They could pay a transfer fee of up to 60 million euros (about 853 million won) for Kim this summer.”
“If Pep Guardiola wants to bolster City’s defense next season, Kim could be the best option,” the outlet added. City currently have the likes of Hubeng Dias, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji, Kyle Walker, and John Stones at the back, but with Emmrecht Laporte set to leave the club, they are in need of a backup center back. Kim Min-Jae has been linked with United, but City are also keeping tabs on his situation.