German champions Bayern Munich are preparing for their biggest signing of the summer as they are close to landing South Korean monster defender Kim Min-jae (27, Napoli).
“Kim Min-jae is just the beginning,” the German ‘FCBinsider’ reported on the 9th (KST), citing the German ‘Bild’. The Bavarians could spend more than €200 million this summer and are keen to sign Harry Kane, Kyle Walker and a new defensive midfielder,” highlighting the potential for an epic squad next season.
Bayern Munich have already made two signings this summer, left-back Raphael Guerreiro, 30, and central midfielder Konrad Reimer, 26. They joined from Borussia Dortmund and Leipzig, respectively, on free transfers.
Now, Munich is close to signing Kim Min-jae. The Bavarians have reportedly paid a buyout clause of €50 million (approximately KRW 71.4 billion) to Kim’s current club Napoli. It could be official as early as next week. It will be the third signing of the summer.
Kim will become the third most expensive defender in Bayern Munich’s history. After Luca Hernandez, who cost €80 million, and Matthias Der Licht, who cost €67 million.
“Despite the signing of Kim Min-jae, Bayern Munich still have €150 million in transfer funds at the moment,” the outlet said, highlighting that they are set for a major reinforcement ahead of next season.
However, despite the signing of Kim Min-jae, the Bavarians are not expected to make any major changes to their transfer kitty. That’s because Hernandez is leaving for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) soon. Hernandez will cost Munich a transfer fee of €45 million.
Hernandez’s replacement is Kim Min-jae. He is likely to play as a first-choice centre-back with Der Licht. Simple maths suggests that Munich would have acquired him for just €5 million (£7.1 billion) 토토체험머니.
With virtually no transfer funds to spend, Munich can focus on bringing in the players Thomas Tuchel wants. The first priority is to sign Son Heung-min’s (31, Tottenham) team-mate Kane.
The Bavarians have reached a personal agreement with Kane. The Bavarians will now try to convince Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy. The first offer of €70 million was rejected. They will now make a second offer, but it is doubtful that they will spend the €100 million that Levy thinks they should.
The next target is Kyle Walker, who won the treble at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola. Walker is expected to cost €15 million plus bonuses. After spending money on Kane and Walker, they still have €35 million left over.
On top of that, Munich could see the likes of Vincent Favre, Marcel Xavier, Buna Sarr, Alexander Nouvel, Jan Zomer, Leon Goretzka and Leroy Sane leave. In total, this would leave Munich with €200 million to spend on players this summer.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Munich’s summer recruitment drive could actually start with Kim Min-jae. European transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano reported on social media on 8 August that “Munich have already paid Napoli €50 million (including tax) for Kim Min-jae’s buyout clause.”
Kim Min-jae was discharged from basic military training on the 6th of this month and completed his medical tests. They were completed in Seoul by a medical team sent by Munich. Now all that’s left to do is sign the papers and the signing can be announced.
Kim’s contract with the Bavarians is reportedly for five years, until 2028. It is likely that Kim will leave the country in the middle of this month after a short break. Alternatively, he could join in time for Munich’s pre-season in Japan later this month.