Man Utd bid for Napoli star SHOT DOWN

Tom Hancock

• Updated: 19 May 2023 18:00 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United have suffered a blow in their efforts to sign Napoli defensive rock Kim Min-jae, after it emerged that the South Korean international will have to complete military service this summer.

Man Utd have been strongly linked with Kim for weeks, with recent reports even suggesting that a deal for the 26-year-old was all but done.

However, the centre-back’s agent recently downplayed talk of a move to Old Trafford, claiming that United had not made any “concrete contact” about a potential transfer.

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Kim must enrol next month for his military service – which is compulsory for all able-bodied South Korean men between the ages of 18 and 28.

However, professional footballers – such as Tottenham’s Son Heung-min, arguably the country’s greatest sportsman of all time – are excused the usual service period of 18 to 21 months, instead being allowed to undertake a much-reduced three-week stint.

With Napoli playing their final game of the season on June 4, Kim could theoretically complete his service before July – but any approach from Man Utd could still have to wait after then.

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Kim makes his mark in superb first Serie A season

Kim only joined Napoli from Fenerbahce last summer but has made a tremendous impact for Luciano Spaletti’s Partenopei, helping them secure the club’s first Serie A title in 33 years.

It’s been rather a meteoric rise for Kim, who just two years ago was playing for Beijing Guoan in the Chinese Super League.

Our in-house Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) model currently rates him at €25m – although it is thought that Man Utd would have to pay close to twice that amount to secure his services, amid talk of a €45m release clause.