Man Utd FAIL to sign Kim Min-Jae - Fabrizio Romano

Carlo Garganese

• 18 Jun 2023 15:30 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United are set to miss out on the signing of top defensive target Kim Min-Jae.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Napoli defender is close to completing a transfer to Bayern Munich with negotiations now at their final stages.

Only minor details need to be sorted for Kim to sign a five year contract at Bayern.

Who is Kim Min-Jae? The €50m Napoli ‘monster’ wanted by Man Utd

The German giants will pay the minimum fee release clause in Kim’s Napoli contract when it activates on July 1.

This comes as a bitter blow for Manchester United, who had been red hot favourites to sign Kim this summer.

The South Korean had long since agreed personal terms with United but the chaos over the ownership situation at Old Trafford appears to have delayed negotiations between the clubs.

READ MORE: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals

What is Kim Min-Jae’s release clause?

Kim has a minimum fee release clause in his contract of around €50 million, valid for the first two weeks in July, which makes Napoli powerless to let him go.

Attempts by Napoli to give Kim a new contract and remove the clause have proved fruitless.

Min-Jae has been an absolute revelation since joining Napoli from Fenerbahce for €18m last summer, helping the club to their first Scudetto in 33 years.

He was signed as a replacement for Kalidou Koulibaly, who left after eight years to join Chelsea, but Kim has been magnificent at the heart of Napoli’s defence.

This led to interest from Europe’s biggest clubs, with Man Utd seeming destined to sign the 26-year-old.

The news that they will miss out on him will further anger Man Utd fans, who feel their summer market is being affected by the slow takeover process.

According to Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti, Kim is now the best in the world in his role.

“Kim does at least 20 incredible things per game, for me he truly is the best centre-back in the world,” Spalletti said after Napoli’s 2-0 win over Atalanta in March.