Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Man Utd have ‘high’ chance of signing coveted title-winner with ‘decisive factor’ for transfer revealed

Kim Min-jae, Piotr Zielinski, Napoli celebrate a goal during Serie A game v Monza at Diego Maradona Stadium

An authority on Italian football news has revealed that Man Utd have a high chance of signing Kim Min-jae from Napoli this summer.

Kim has been a revelation for the Serie A champions during his debut season after joining them from Fenerbahce last summer. Replacing club icon Kalidou Koulibaly with him turned out to be great business by Napoli – although there was one catch.

Kim’s contract contains a release clause that clubs outside Italy will be able to activate in the first two weeks of July. Man Utd are one of the clubs most frequently tipped to make the most of that opportunity.

According to Corriere Dello Sport‘s online director Pasquale Salvioni, who was speaking on 1 Station Radio‘s 1 Football Club programme, Man Utd seem to have ‘concrete’ interest in signing Kim.

Because of their interest, Salvioni believes there is a ‘high’ chance that the 26-year-old will leave Napoli. However, it all depends on the ‘real decisive factor’, which is ‘the will of the player’.

Indeed, even if Man Utd activate Kim’s release clause, the defender could still choose to reject them. Therefore, they would have to make a convincing pitch about their plans to him.

In theory, Man Utd’s interest in Kim could be related to the prospect of club captain Harry Maguire leaving in the summer. Now behind Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane in the pecking order at centre-back, the England international might have to move on.

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A player of Kim’s power wouldn’t be content with a backup role either, so his arrival would put serious pressure on Varane – who has suffered from some injuries recently – and last summer’s signing, Martinez.

There could be other contenders for Kim’s signature, too, although Salvioni did not speak of any of them.

Kim Min-jae could be high-profile Napoli departure

He did reflect on the chances of Victor Osimhen also leaving Napoli, though. The striker has been linked with Man Utd and Salvioni has predicted that Luciano Spalletti’s side could sell him this summer if he does not renew his contract.

However, Chelsea – rather than Man Utd – were mentioned as the suitors who are most ‘strong’ on that particular case.

Therefore, despite their need for a starting centre-forward arguably being greater than their need for a starting centre-back, Man Utd could be focusing on Kim primarily for the time being.

An opportunity to sign a player like him for the price it will cost – around €50m (£43.5m) – could be too good to overlook, so it is understandable why.

It seems clear now, though, that Man Utd’s main task will be convincing the South Korean star that they are the right next club for him to spend the prime of his career at.

Yet optimism appears to be growing that Kim moving to Man Utd for his first taste of Premier League football could be a concrete possibility within the next two months.