Manchester United tried to sign Kim Min-jae from Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window and could come back for him again, according to a trusted journalist, who has also revealed his delicate frame of mind.
While Man Utd could end up winning the Europa League this season, there is no hiding from the fact that it has been a disappointing campaign for the Red Devils. Even under head coach Ruben Amorim, performances and results have not improved, with the Red Devils set to finish in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
While Man Utd have struggled to score goals, the defence is also an area for concern.
Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof are out of contract at Man Utd at the end of the season, and the Red Devils may have to replace them.
There have been suggestions that Amorim has told the Man Utd recruitment team that there is no need to sign another centre-back, despite the Portuguese boss playing with a back-three and could be two players short in that position next season.
Bild journalist Christian Falk, though, has now claimed that Man Utd could try to sign Kim this summer, having failed in their approach for the 28-year-old centre-back last summer.
Nicknamed ‘Monster’ during his time in Italy, where he won Serie A with Napoli, Kim, who plays with Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min for the South Korea national team, could leave Bayern at the end of the season.
Falk wrote on CFBayerninsider.com: “Last summer, he couldn’t think of moving away from the club, even when, I heard, Manchester United knocked on the door. They were interested in signing Min-jae, so perhaps they’ll come knocking again this summer.
“I also heard from United that they are not so confident in the signings they’ve recently made from Bayern Munich! So, they’ll have to think about whether it’s the best strategy for them.
“Kim Min-jae does have a lot of quality, but I think he’s not been able to show this at Bayern, as he needs a defensive partner who’s vocal and gives him instructions.
“I heard Bayern would be prepared to sell the 28-year-old if they get an offer of between €40m-50m (£34m/$46m – £43m/$57m). They want to change things in the defence. Min-jae, for what it’s worth, is at the point of considering a potential transfer to Saudi Arabia if a good offer came in the summer.
“So, you see, the situation is not easy for him. That said, he’s got a contract with Bayern, and I think he’d be prepared to do it next season. If there’s a big offer on the table, then every side would be open to talks. There’s nothing concrete at the moment with Juventus.”
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Kim Min-jae is ‘very sensitive’
While Kim was a superstar at Napoli, his time at Bayern so far has not been particularly great.
Falk has noted how the 28-year-old struggled against Inter Milan in the Champions League this season and was also at fault for Bayern losing to Real Madrid in Europe’s premier club competition in the 2023-24 campaign.
Falk added: “Kim Min-jae is a very sensitive guy. It may not seem that way from an outsider’s perspective, but I can assure you that this is the case.
“He was incredibly down, as it was ultimately his fault that Bayern went out of the Champions League against Inter Milan.
“It wasn’t exclusively his fault, of course, but, for context, it’s worth bearing in mind that Min-jae was also to blame for Bayern’s failure to get past Real Madrid in the semi-finals last year.
“The South Korean turned off the comments on his socials, as he couldn’t bear to keep reading what the fans were writing about him. It shows his frame of mind at the moment.”
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