Manchester United are preparing an offer to sign Napoli defender Kim Min-jae.
As reported by Sport Witness, United are ‘warming up their engines’ as they continue their search for the South Korean international.
Min-jae has been in excellent form since moving to Napoli in the summer, with Napoli flying high at the top of Serie A and having the third-best defensive record in the league.
The center midfielder further enhanced his reputation with an impressive display at the World Cup, which saw South Korea advance to the knockout stage.
His performances have alerted top clubs across Europe, and United boss Erik ten Hag is said to be a huge fan.
Although Ten Hag has his favorite center back pairing in place in the form of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane, Min-jae would provide excellent depth.
Given Varane’s fitness issues along with the number of games United are likely to feature in, the 26-year-old would have a huge role to play at Old Trafford.
There is a €50m release clause in Min-jae’s contract that can only be activated by clubs outside of Italy.
Napoli is desperate for the South Korean to sign a new deal in Naples to remove or increase the clause, and his market value is only increasing by the day.
Any move by United is almost certain to come in the summer with tight funding for the January window.
The focus is solely on bringing in a striker to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, who seems to be the only business on the cards in the next month.
This, coupled with the club’s hopeful sale from the Glazer family early next year, leaves the club short of funds and reluctant to sanction a high fee for any player in January.
If United make the move in the summer, they are likely to face stiff competition with Real Madrid joining a host of Premier League and Serie A teams as possible suitors, should Min-jae decide to leave Italy. .
