Manchester United are willing to pay a buyout to sign Kim Min-jae. However, Harry Maguire could change their strategy.
On the 10th (KST), the British ’90min’ reported, “United want to sign a new center back. In early July, they opened talks with Kim Min-Jae, who has a release clause of no more than £50 million ($81.3 billion). But if Maguire doesn’t budge this summer, the Red Devils may have to revise their defense strategy.”
United hired Eric ten Hagh as manager ahead of this season. It got off to a bad start. They lost their first two English Premier League (EPL) games. In response, Van Gaal brought in Casemiro and Anthony, and made changes to the defense. Lisandro Martinez and Rafael Varane became the starters, while Maguire dropped to the bench.스포츠토토
The rebound was successful. United reached the top of the English Football League Cup (EFL Cup), adding a trophy to their collection for the first time in six years. They finished third in the league and qualified for the UEFA Champions League (UCL) the following season. With their accomplishments in hand, United are now looking to bolster their roster for next season.
With several positions in need of new faces, the center back position is set to change. They want to add a top-notch defender to the current pairing of Lisandro and Varane. We’ve already started to clean up the defense. Phil Jones, Eric Bailly, and Axel Thuanzebe are all surplus to requirements.
The most likely candidate is Kim Min-jae. Kim made his first appearance in Europe when he joined Fenerbahçe ahead of last season. However, he impressed so much that he was sold to Napoli a year later. He proved himself in the Italian Serie A, which is a higher level than the Turquoise, and helped Napoli win their first league title in 33 years.
Photo: Serie A
Naturally, his value skyrocketed. Kim was named the league’s best defender this season by the Serie A secretariat. Football statistics company TransferMarkt put his market value at 50 million euros (about 69.5 billion won). There have been transfer rumors. Manchester United and Newcastle United are among those interested.
A year after leaving Fenerbahce for Napoli, the player has been linked with another move. Kim is contracted to Napoli until the summer of 2025, with a special release clause that will be triggered in early July. The fee is reportedly no more than £50 million. That’s more than enough for the financially wealthy United.
In the meantime, a variable has arisen from within the team. Maguire’s willingness to stay. Maguire is currently United’s third or fourth choice center back. In the case of Victor Lindelof, who is in a similar position, Van Gaal wants him to stay, but this is not the case with Maguire. However, the situation is complicated by the fact that Maguire himself is willing to stay at United and fight for his place.