“Joining Manchester United is a dream come true for me and I’m so excited to be here”: Manchester United’s new summer signing has dropped his first speech since £107million move to Old Trafford
Manchester United are reportedly weighing up reigniting their interest in Kim Min-jae after missing out on the Bayern Munich defender in 2023.
BILD journalist Christian Falk reports that United and Liverpool are rumoured to be interested in the South Korean and a sale could take place this summer. Bayern triggered a £43m release clause in the 28-year-old’s contract with Napoli in July 2023 and got back to his best last season after initial struggles.
Kim performed well as Vincent Kompany’s Bayern reclaimed the Bundesliga title, but an Achilles injury took hold in the dying embers of the campaign. There is now talk in Germany that his future is uncertain and a move to the Premier League is a possibility.
Man Utd Could Swoop For Bayern’s Kim
The Red Devils were heavily interested in 2023
Kim has three years left on his contract at Bayern, but the arrival of Jonathan Tah could cast doubt over him staying put this summer. He is a previous United target and Ruben Amorim could do with experience at the back amid Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans’ departures.
Falk gave an update on the South Korea international’s situation in his Daily Briefing and confirmed he’d received interest from the Saudi Pro League:
“No decision has yet been made on Kim Min-jae’s future. There have also been no negotiations with the player’s side. But, there is interest from Saudi Arabia. Kim has not ruled it out.”
A move to Old Trafford is also a possibility, although the Red Devils could face competition from Liverpool:
“However, we are still waiting to see whether Liverpool and Manchester United become concrete. There are also rumours that the two Premier League clubs are interested. The fact is: FC Bayern can imagine a sale. However, there is still no offer for the defender.”
Fabrizio Romano reported that Kim was United’s main target when the club searched the market for a new centre-back in the summer of 2023. The groundwork had already been done, as reports from Italy at the time claimed personal terms were agreed before Bayern swooped in for his signature.
There have been many changes at Old Trafford since their failed move for Kim, including Amorim replacing Erik ten Hag. The Portuguese coach employs a three-at-the-back system, which the South Korean, nicknamed a “monster” has performed well in during his international career.
Kim will also be familiar with Matthijs de Ligt, who made the switch to United from Bayern last summer. But a new centre-back might not be the priority at present given the club’s pursuit of Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo and the expectation a new number nine will arrive.
