South Korea national team coach Andreas Harechok (55) was surprised to learn that ‘monster’ Kim Min-jae (27, Napoli) is heading to Bayern Munich.
Kim is on the verge of joining the Bavarians. Germany’s ‘Bild’ reported on March 29 (KST), “German champions Munich have reached an agreement with Kim Min-jae.
His agent reached an agreement with Munich in Lisbon last week. Munich has promised him that no other team can intervene,” and “Napoli has already been informed by Munich that they will trigger Kim’s buyout.”
European soccer transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano also gave his signature ‘Here we go’ shoutout for Kim Min-jae’s departure.
He said: “Munich have reached a verbal agreement with Kim Min-jae on personal terms. He has accepted the five-year contract offered by Munich.
The contract runs until 2028. The next step is for Munich to pay the buyout amount.” “The buyout clause will be triggered in the next few days.”
Germany’s Sport1 reported a similar story on March 30. “Kim Min-jae’s move to Bayern is almost finalized. The Bavarians will trigger a buyout clause worth 50 million euros ($71.9 billion) to bring him back from Napoli. He will sign a five-year contract until 2028.”
Coach Herzog, a ‘Munich native’, was also surprised. “Manchester United wanted him, in fact, for over a month I thought he would definitely go to United,” he told Sport1, “and then Bayern jumped in. He would be a great addition to Bayern,” he confessed.
He didn’t forget to praise Kim. “It’s great news for him, he was the best defender in the league at Napoli and now he’s going to Bayern. He is a great defender with great physicality, jumping and tackling skills.”
“Bayern is signing the best players,” he said, adding, “Kim Min-jae is also strong in offensive tactics. He sends strong passes forward. It’s the way Napoli played under Luciano Spalletti,” he continued.
Hairchalk also noted Kim’s steep upward curve: “He came from Turkkiye Fenerbahçe and played in Serie A for a year. So far, he’s always gone up,” he said.
“Two years ago, Kim was playing for Beijing Guoan in China, and then he spent a year each at Fenerbahçe and Napoli. Now he’s about to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world.”
If Kim ends up in a Munich jersey, Hairchalk will be his “big brother”. Herzog played for Munich for a year in the 1995-1996 season. National team coach Jürgen Klinsmann is also a Munich native, so the pair will soon form a “Munich Connection.
Kim will now become the most expensive Asian soccer player in history. Unlike German media outlets such as Bild and Sport1, Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport estimated his transfer fee at €58 million (approximately KRW 83.4 billion).
Despite the discrepancy, Kim will still surpass the 35 million euros (approximately 503 million won) that Japan’s Shoya Nakajima earned when he joined Alduhail.
Sky Sports in the U.K. noted that Kim didn’t allow a single dribble in the UEFA Champions League last season, “which is why Bayern are spending £42 million on him,” and was impressed.
He’s earning his keep. “Kim will receive between €10 million and €12 million a year from Munich,” said Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg. That’s three to four times the €3.21 million a year he was reportedly earning at Napoli. 토토
