Chelsea 'in talks' to sign €50m 'MONSTER'

Tom Weber

Updated: 18 Apr 2025 14:45 BST
4 min read

Chelsea are 'in talks' over a shock deal for Bayern Munich flop Kim Min-jae, according to a report.

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The South Korea international has endured a very surprising fall from grace over the past two years. In 2023, Kim marshalled Napoli's backline as they won their first Scudetto in 33 years.

Current ETV

Min-jae Kim

D (C)

Bayern

Min-jae Kim

D (C)

Bayern

ETV Range

€40.6M - €49.6M

The centre-back, who used to be nicknamed 'The Monster,' was regarded as one of Europe's top defenders at the time, and it was viewed as a real coup when Bayern managed to beat Man Utd to his signature.

The €50 million that the Bundesliga giants paid when they triggered his release clause was considered a genuine bargain. However, two years on, the 28-year-old is less of a defensive monster and more of a monstrous flop.

On his day, Kim is still a very good Bundesliga defender, but generally speaking, he has been a shadow of his former self. He looks a completely different player to the one who was considered Asia's best when he starred at Napoli, Fenerbahce, Beijing Guoan and even at Jeonbuk in his youth.

Chelsea open Kim talks

Last season, Kim openly admitted that his confidence had taken a major hit when he was dropped by Thomas Tuchel, and it seems that he has yet to fully recover despite being a regular under Vincent Kompany.

Kim has made an uncharacteristic number of individual mistakes since joining Bayern, although in his defence, he has had to play with a minor injury in recent weeks due to Bayern's shortage of defensive options.

Still, it is unsurprising that Sky Germany revealed earlier this week that the centre-back is far from 'untouchable' this summer. Bayern are not actively looking to sell, but they will consider offers for the 28-year-old.

Footmercato now reports that the first enquiries have already arrived, with Chelsea and Newcastle holding talks with the player's representatives.

Kim is said to be 'very open' to a new challenge outside of Germany, although a move to Chelsea would come as a surprise given his age. He is not the kind of player the Blues have been targeting in recent years.

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