A sneak peek at why Manchester United are looking to sign Kim안전놀이터 Min-Jae early has been revealed. It appears to be a ploy to get the deal done before the buyout period at a cheaper transfer fee.
United have reportedly been watching Kim since the World Cup in Qatar last year. They have a center-back pairing of Rafael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, but with their frequent injuries and the possibility of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League in 2023/24, they feel they need three quality defenders.
In recent days, the pursuit of Kim Min-jae has picked up speed. With Champions League qualification finalized, they’ve released Phil Jones and Axel Thiangueb, and they’re planning to let go of Harry Maguire, who hasn’t been in contention for a starting spot despite being captain. The plan is to bring in Kim Min-jae to fill the vacant spot.
However, the club’s M&A is not over yet, and they need to sign high-priced players such as Harry Kane, so they want to reduce the transfer fee for Kim Min-jae as much as possible.
A recent report from Italian publication Corriere dello Sport reveals this intention.
“Kim will fly to England immediately after the end of the season to undergo a medical and take a tour of United’s facilities,” the newspaper said, confirming the player’s move to the club. “A €60 million ($85.2 billion) buyout for Kim is the most likely option for United. However, United are hoping to settle for a deal in the €50 million range if possible.”
When Kim joined Napoli from Turkkiye Fenerbahçe last summer, he reportedly inserted a buyout clause that runs from July 1 to 15, 2023. It only applies to foreign clubs, not Italian ones, and the buyout can range from €50 million to €70 million ($99.7 billion), depending on the club’s revenue.
For the most valuable clubs in the world, such as United, the lower buyout limit of €50 million would be exceeded, the newspaper believes. On the other hand, United’s strategy is to offer Napoli less than the buyout amount in May or June and try to reach an agreement between the clubs.
This would seem to be an invitation to Napoli to finalize the deal now, even at a lower price, rather than wait another month or two and risk that no team will come forward to buy out Kim. United reportedly offered Napoli a deal that included center back Victor Lindelof for cash and was effectively rejected.
There is no shortage of opinions on whether United should add more center backs. Legendary Rio Ferdinand said: “We don’t need to buy an expensive center back when we have Baran and Martinez. You can have a younger player as a backup,” and he actually opposed the signing of Kim Min-jae.
In the meantime, there are reports that United are trying to reduce the transfer fee by a penny. According to ‘The Sun’, United is expected to spend 600 billion won to sign five players, including Kane, Declan Rice (West Ham), Mason Mount (Chelsea), and Jeremy Frimpong (Leverkusen).