Kim Min-jae’s impressive start to life at Napoli has presented the Partenopei with a problem that, cliched as it may sound, a number of Serie A clubs would envy. Kim currently has a €50 million release clause in his contract and the Serie A leaders are now looking to either remove or increase that with clubs sniffing around the defender, most notably Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.
Kim has been one of the standout players in Serie A so far this season and his dominant performances at the back for Napoli have allowed them to move swiftly on from Kalidou Koulibaly after his move to Chelsea last summer.
Napoli signed Kim from Fenerbahce for around €18m as Koulibaly’s replacement and he wasted no time in winning over regulars at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Now, though, the €50m release clause agreed in his contract last summer could be seen as a fee worth paying after his bright first half of the season. With clubs around Europe needing top-class centre-backs as well, Kim might be the subject of offers this winter.
Juventus’ interest in Kim
It is no secret that Juventus are admirers of Kim and that was true even before he landed in Italian football with Napoli last summer. He had caught the Bianconeri’s eye while playing in Turkey, but his status as a non-EU citizen posed a problem for them with registration due to the construction of their squad in Turin.
While registration was one of the concerns preventing the deal, TuttoMercatoWeb have reported that Juventus were weighing up moves for both Kim and Torino’s Gleison Bremer and agreed an €18m move. Dragging their feet, though, they missed the chance as a deal was agreed and then finalised with Napoli.
Inter had also been interested in signing the South Korean from Fenerbahce.
Manchester United want Kim
Kim has made the step to life in Serie A seamlessly and, as such, has grabbed attention further afield. With Serie A seen as a more challenging league, rightly or wrongly, to many in Europe, his excellent performances helping Napoli to sit comfortably top of the table and seeing them through their Champions League group as well have got clubs and fans outside of Italy talking.
Manchester United are one of the clubs interested in him, and contact has apparently been made with Napoli. The same is being reported of PSG.
Kim and Napoli are back in Serie A action on Matchday 16, travelling north to take on Inter. The Partenopei currently have an eight-point lead over champions AC Milan at the top of the table.
