Star News Reporter Lee Won-hee | 2023.05.12 06:48
Manchester United from England continued to recruit ‘monster’ Kim Min-jae (27, Napoli). The rumor about the transfer of Kim Min-jae to Manchester United is getting hotter. Man Utd News, which mainly deals with Man Utd news, said on the 12th (Korea time), “Man Utd has been closely observing the Korean national team defender Kim Min-jae. We are ready to pay billions of winnings.” Recently, news is pouring that Manchester United is trying to recruit Kim Min-jae. Moreover, it appears to be actively moving. Italy’s Tutomercato Web and England’s Football 365 claimed that Manchester United would like to complete the recruitment within the next month before the competition to recruit Kim Min-jae intensifies. According to British Tribal Football, Man Utd contacted Kim Min-jae right after the World Cup in Qatar last year.
That’s how sincere they are about recruiting. Man Utd News sees Kim Min-jae as the right person to ease Manchester United’s defensive anxiety. The media explained, “When he transferred from Fenerbahce (Turkiye) to Napoli last summer, Kim Min-jae was close to an unknown player. However, he showed top-class skills in Napoli and attracted a lot of attention.” Kim Min-jae is evaluated as the best centre-back in Europe outside of Serie A. He has given great performances all season. Participated in 33 league games, showing great defense in every game, leading Napoli to the Serie A championship. Napoli reached the top of the league 33 years after the 1989-90 season, when club legend Diego Maradona played an active role. Kim Min-jae was showered with praise. Whoscore.com, a European football statistics media, also gave Kim Min-jae the highest season rating of 7.10 among center backs in Serie A. He recorded an average of 1.6 tackles per game, 3.6 clearances, and a pass success rate of 90.8%. The media praised him, “Kim Min-jae has shown his strength in physical and aerial balls. Therefore, Kim Min-jae has all the conditions to succeed in the Premier League.” On this day, Eurosport also praised “Kim Min-jae, Victor Osimen, and Hvita Kvarachhelia as the best signings of Napoli general manager Cristiano Giuntoli.”
Manchester United’s defensive insecurities are quite serious. They have world-class Rafael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, but there are injury problems. French defender Varane has suffered from constant injuries throughout his career. He has only played 21 league games this season. Martinez is also out with a long-term injury. It is a major injury that can affect until next season. It is known that Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, and Phil Jones, who were pushed out of the competition for starting positions, will leave the team this summer. Even the number of centre-backs can be scarce. This is why Manchester United are betting their life and death on the recruitment of Kim Min-jae.
In addition, Kim Min-jae has been linked with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. That is why it is important for Man United to win a ticket to the European Champions League. It could be advantageous to recruit Kim Min-jae. At the moment, Manchester United are in 4th place in the league (63 points), but are fiercely followed by ‘rivals’ Liverpool 5th (62 points). We need to get as many points as possible in the remaining 4 games. Fortunately for Manchester United, we have 3 home games ahead of us. Manchester United recorded an incredible record of 12 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat at home this season. ManUTD News emphasized, “Italian media claim that Manchester United is the frontrunner in signing Kim Min-jae, but in our opinion, advancing to the Champions League is a prerequisite for signing Kim Min-jae.” As the recruitment competition intensifies, Napoli are also looking for someone to replace Kim Min-jae. According to the media, Napoli are targeting Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini in the same league. He is of Italian nationality and a young 20 year old defender. However, he has played in 28 league games this season and has been active as a member of the first team. He is 194 cm tall and has a solid body and is famous for his tough defense. His dribbling and passing skills are also rated well. If Napoli manage to recruit a new defender, the transfer of Kim Min-jae can also gain momentum.
British football media 90MIN said, “Kim Min-jae said he would stay, but Napoli admitted they could sell him. After moving from Fenerbahce (Turkey) to Napoli, Kim Min-jae presented himself as a top center back the world, and many big players like Manchester United and Liverpool. The club is interested,” he said. “If Napoli receive an offer that exceeds 60 million euros in connection with the transfer of Kim Min-jae, it will be difficult to refuse.” In addition, Napoli are linked with Konstantinos Mavropanos, who plays in Stuttgart, Germany. He is a defender of Greek nationality and likewise has a good body with a height of 194 cm. This season, he played 26 league games and collected 7 yellow cards.
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