Napoli will struggle to keep ahold of Kim Min-Jae just a year after signing him to replace Kalidou Koulibaly. The club has been trying to get him to agree to a new contract to eliminate the release clause. However, they haven’t managed to convince his camp, La Gazzetta dello Sport informs.
The defender could be poached for around €50M, or more depending on the revenues of the buyer, in the first two weeks of July. The Azzurri have no say in the matter. The suitors reportedly have put €6M wages on the table. It’s way more than what the Scudetto winners are comfortable offering.
Kim has settled in nicely, but he could be lured by a Premier League powerhouse in the same way Napoli purchased him from Fenerbahce last summer, beating Rennes to the punch. Manchester United have long coveted him. However, their ongoing sale process might hinder them.
Manchester City are also keen as they might shake up their backline, selling Aymeric Laporte in particular. Chelsea can’t be ruled out either after acquiring an Azzurri stalwart last year. The Partenopei have been keeping tabs on Union Berlin’s Danilho Doekhi as a potential replacement.
Our Take on Napoli and Kim
It was a little suspicious that Aurelio De Laurentiis didn’t mention the South Korean among the players that won’t be sold in his celebratory speech. The list included just Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. They have no control over him and will be at the mercy of his agents and intentions in the early portion of the window. The contractual conditions were probably part of the reason why they won the race, but they really painted themselves into a corner.
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