da mrbet： Newcastle United have "sent their scouts" to watch Napoli defender Kim Min-Jae live in action ahead of a potential move to the Premier League, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Who is Kim Min-Jae?
da dobrowin： Kim is a centre-back who currently plays his football at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona having joined from Fenerbahce last summer, and having made 45 appearances during his debut season, quickly established himself as Luciano Spalletti’s third best-performing defensive player, with this form catching the eye of Eddie Howe in the northeast.
Spanish reports have claimed that the Magpies have joined Manchester United in the race to sign the 26-year-old and are planning to hijack a summer deal from underneath their top-flight rivals' noses, and his price tag has already been made public knowledge.
The South Korea international still has another two years to run on his contract, but with that deal including a £52m release clause, that is likely to be the fee needed to prise him away before his terms expire in Italy’s Serie A.
Are Newcastle signing Kim?
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Romano was asked whether Man United had any other challengers in the chase to secure the services of Kim ahead of the 2023/24 term, to which he responded:
“It’s just Newcastle, but at the moment, I wouldn’t say it’s concrete competition. It’s just Newcastle following the player and keeping informed on the release clause. They’ve sent their scouts multiple times to follow the player.”
Should PIF submit an offer for Kim?
Luciano Spalletti is a huge fan of the defender, having hailed Kim as doing "20 incredible things per game" and described him as the "best centre-back in the world".
Newcastle will likely be restricted in their budget in order to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations despite qualifying for the Champions League so £52m could be too much to ask, but should the opportunity present itself at an affordable price, PIF should definitely test the waters to see if they can bring Kim to St. James’ Park.
The World Cup participant was averaging 3.5 clearances and 2.6 aerial wins per league game last season, via WhoScored, which saw him dubbed an “iron barrel” by Napoli teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, not to mention that he’s extremely calm and composed on the ball recording a pass success rate of 91%.
Kim, who has also previously operated at right-back, can additionally contribute to his team’s efforts at the opposite end of the pitch having posted four goal contributions (two goals and the same number of assists) in the Serie A during 2022/23, so it would be a massive coup should the hierarchy be able to tempt him into joining in the weeks and months ahead.