Napoli’s lawyer, Mattia Grassani, has spoken again about Kim Min-jae’s contract on Italian radio.
The South Korean centre-back’s outstanding performances for his new club in Serie A and the Champions League have seen links established between him and Manchester United.
The Azzuri bought Kim for around €18m from Turkey’s Fenerbahçe following Kalidou Koulibaly’s departure to Chelsea.
Filling Koulibaly’s significant shoes immediately, Kim won the Serie A Player of the Month award for his efforts during September. He has started all but one game in all competitions this season as Napoli sit top of Serie A and their Champions League group.
With Raphaël Varane’s perennial struggles with injuries and Harry Maguire’s dismal form, Erik ten Hag might be interested in examining the central defender options on the market to strengthen this area within his team.
CNN Turkey had first drawn United’s interest in Kim, making them one of many suitors among Europe’s elite. They pointed out that one of the reasons for this hyper-interest is due to the centre-back’s relatively low termination clause in his contract.
Grassani then spoke to Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli about such rumors suggesting that United and others would be interested in buying Kim in January. The lawyer appeared to quash any ongoing discussion, stating that the winter window would be an incredibly optimistic time to welcome any formal approach.
Gianluca DiMarzio then explained why this is the case: Kim Min-jae has a €50 million release clause, but this only kicks in in the summer of 2023.
Grassani has now delved into the details of the clause to the same radio station:
“In the summer, Kim Min-jae’s clause will be valid for 15 days. The will of the club where there are clauses is to limit the validity of the clause for a very short time. For the simple reason that, in this way, eventual exits and substitutions can be evaluated in time”.
Also, this clause is only available for foreign clubs. Napoli are notoriously difficult to negotiate with and such caution in avoiding a possible move to a direct rival is a cunning but common tactic.
For a player who draws extreme attention from top clubs in Europe’s top leagues, including United, an intense race to acquire his signature can be expected between July 1-15.
