Conflicting reports on Man Utd signing ‘world’s best defender’ for €56m

Robin Bairner

• 17 May 2023 15:34 BST
• 4 min read

Manchester United’s first signing of the summer is virtually in the bag, according to reports, with the Premier League side having confirmed to Napoli that they will trigger the release clause of Kim Min-Jae in July.

Kim has been a revelation for the Serie A champions since joining from Fenerbahce last summer for a fee of €18 million.

Unfortunately for Napoli, when the South Korea international signed up, he did so with a clause in his contract that allows him to move after less than a year at the club for just €56m. This clause is only valid for a two-week period at the start of July.

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

According to Il Mattino, Man Utd have already confirmed to Napoli that they intend to meet that demand.

The 26-year-old is also said to have already agreed personal terms with Erik ten Hag’s side, with an annual wage of €9m agreed. Now all that is required is for United to stump up the required cash.

However, a representative of Min-Jae claimed on Wednesday that talk of a done deal was premature.

“It’s not true that a deal is closed with Manchester United," the representative told Star News Korea.

“There is no hurry for the future. United have been interested in Kim since he was in China, we only spoke but I repeat: there has been no concrete contact."

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Kim Min-jae: The world’s best centre-back?

Although Kim’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) is at €25m, this has been rapidly rising since the start of the season and will continue to rise when he joins Man Utd.

For this reason, he will be seen as a bargain signing, with Napoli likely have demanded a world-record fee for a centre-back who has been branded the best on the plant thanks to his performances in Italy.

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

For United, there are multiple pleasing factors at getting this deal done so quickly. Firstly and most obviously, they will sign Kim at a relatively cheap fee. They have watched enviously as Erling Haaland has fired Manchester City to the brink of another Premier League title, having been signed at a bargain price last summer due to his release clause. Ten Hag will hope Kim can have a similar impact, albeit in a very different position.

Secondly, it has allowed Man Utd to do a deal for a problem position before the window has even opened. Ten Hag is known to want his signings in for the beginning for pre-season and this agreement paves the way for Kim to do just that.