Now it’s down to the director’s cut. There is no change in the transfer of Kim Min-jae (27, Napoli) to Bayern Munich.
On the 16th (below), Italian media outlets such as ‘Calcio Mercato’ and ‘Di Marzio’ reported comments from Napoli’s new coach Rudi Garcia.
“We know that Kim Min-jae will no longer be with us,” he said at a press conference ahead of pre-season, officially confirming his departure.
Kim is set to join Munich. The defender, who was named Serie A’s best defender in the 2022-2023 season, is ready for a new challenge a year after arriving at Napoli last year.
He’s not the only one who wants him. Manchester United actively pursued him before the end of the season, while Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, and Newcastle United were also interested, with Newcastle and the Saudi sovereign wealth fund (PIF), which owns four teams in the Saudi League, reportedly attempting a last-minute hijack.
The last man standing appears to be Munich. Munich coach Thomas Tuchel has identified Kim as a replacement for Luca Hernandez, who left for Paris Saint-Germain, and has been pushing hard for a deal, and now his dream is on the verge of becoming a reality.
‘Sky Sports Germany’ reporter Florian Plettenberg said, “It’s all done. The transfer fee has been paid. The ‘monster’ Kim Min-jae is the new Bayern player.
The official announcement will be made in the next few days.” “It was a difficult transfer for everyone, but Bayern won the competition. Man Utd tried to hijack the deal, but Kim only wanted Bayern. He turned down many big offers.”
Tuchel had a lot to do with that. According to Plettenberg, Tuchel and technical director Marco Neppe played a key role in the signing.
“Kim is Tuchel’s overwhelming ‘dream central defender,’ and he will be happy to have his favorite player. He has already been in contact with Kim.”
Munich also went out of their way to keep Kim Min-jae. Munich’s medical staff flew to Seoul for Kim and held medical tests in Korea on his release date from three weeks of basic military training.
It was a surprise move to eliminate any unknown variables. Local German media also used the phrases “crazy medical test” and “unusual.
On the 7th, German ‘TZ’ reported, “Kim Min-jae is moving to Bayern. It’s not official yet, but the German champions are taking an unusual step to gain an edge in the recruitment race.”
“The Bayern medical team traveled to South Korea to conduct medical tests on Kim Min-jae and completed them. This means that the transfer is nearing completion.”
However, an official announcement is yet to come. It’s been a week since the medicals ended, but there’s still no news. Kim’s buyout clause is valid until July 15, so some fans are hoping that he will stay at Napoli.
Italian outlets Napoli Fiorentina and Area Napoli have also emphasized that if Munich doesn’t pay the buyout clause quickly, there could be a surprise announcement that Kim will stay.
However, there will not be the shock reversal Napoli fans were hoping for. “Kim will no longer be with us, but we want to keep all the players, and we can add some players to the squad who can help us in certain situations,” Garcia said publicly, adding that Kim is leaving the club.
Garcia also talked about Kim’s replacement. “A manager always wants to build a squad as quickly as possible, but that’s a utopia.
We have plenty of time to find a central defender to replace Kim Min-jae. The club has already been working on the problem for some time, and while we can’t be 100% sure, it’s possible.
We have to take into account the economic aspect, but at the moment we have three central defenders, so there is no need to rush.”
Tuchel also confirmed the signing of Kim Min-jae. “We want to replace Hernandez and it’s not a big secret who it will be,” he said on Friday, according to European soccer transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, “I’m not going to say the name now because it’s not helpful, but we’re trying to announce it in the next few days”.
While the exact name hasn’t been revealed, we’re talking about Kim Min-jae. At the moment, he is the only central defender that Munich are actively pursuing.
Romano even confirmed: “It’s Kim Min-jae. The buyout clause has been triggered, and the medical has been completed,” he said.
Kim will now become the most expensive Asian player in history. His transfer fee is reported to be between €48 million (approximately KRW 68.6 billion) and €50 million (approximately KRW 71.4 billion), including deferred payments. That’s more than the €35 million that Japan’s Shoya Nakajima paid to join Alduhail.
His salary will also increase significantly. According to Florian Plettenberg, Kim will sign a five-year contract with Munich, earning between €10 million and €12 million per year. That’s more than four times the 2.5 million euros ($3.6 billion) he earned at Napoli. 토토사이트