Serie A leaders Napoli have stepped up attempts to tie defender Kim Min-jae down to a new contract, with Premier League side Manchester United also increasing efforts to steal the centre-back away from the Neapolitans this summer.
Despite lifting the Carabao Cup in February with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United, coach Erik ten Hag is still looking to strengthen the Red Devil’s defence, and the 26-year-old’s form this term has moved him up their list of candidates.
Kim Min-jae’s Napoli release clause
Few expected the South Korea international to slip seamlessly into the void left by the departure of Kalidou Koulibaly to Chelsea, although owner Aurelio De Laurentiis insisted on a €50 million release clause when arriving from Fenerbahce after just one season in Europe.
The Partenopei are now looking to increase Kim’s release clause to around €70 million when negotiating a new contract with the defender, but it could require doubling his wages to €60,000 a week to convince him to sign and extend beyond June 2025.
Will Kim renew at Napoli?
After arriving for a relatively modest €18 million fee from Turkey, the decision could be taken out of the South Korean’s hands at the end of the campaign, with Napoli deciding that they can reinvest any profit just as wisely and will have already achieved their Scudetto aim.
With Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain also reportedly in contact with Kim’s representatives, the centre-back may decide that, at 26, this might be the only chance to move to one of European football’s superpowers and will have little left to achieve in Italy with a title winners medal around his neck.
