Napoli have sealed the deal for Kim Min-Jae, who will arrive in Italy Tuesday to take the medicals and finalize the deal. The Partenopei quickly zeroed in on him after Kalidou Koulibaly moved to Chelsea.
As per Gianluca Di Marzio, the Azzurri had to negotiate at length with his agents, but everything got sorted, and the official announcement will come soon. The parties needed to iron out some fiscal issues too. The center-back has to give part of his salary to his country, Corriere dello Sport reports. He had left Turkey a few days back to fly to Portugal at the HQ of his agency.
Napoli have activated the €20M release clause to acquire Kim Min-Jae from Fenerbahce, hijacking Rennes’ pursuit at the last moment. The talks with his camp were more complex. According to Radio Kiss Kiss, the South Korean will ink a three-year contract with two more optional seasons. He will earn €2.5M annually. A €42M exit clause will be valid from 2024.
The 25-year-old began his career domestically and established himself at Jeonbuk Hyundai. He transferred to Beijing Gouan in 2019. He spent two years in China before moving to Fenerbahce in a €3M deal in 2021. The colossus featured in 40 matches in his lone season with the Turkish club. He has won the K-League and the East Asian Cup twice and a Gold Medal in the Asian Games. He has 40 caps with his national team and has hit the net 3 times.
Our Take on Napoli Signing Kim Min-Jae
The fee is relatively modest, which lowers the risks related to his lack of experience in the top leagues. There are excellent chances his physical dominance translates very well to Serie A. If confirmed, the not-exorbitant release clause could be a ticking time bomb, though.