Manchester United are set for a busy transfer window and are set to battle Liverpool for the signature of a centre-back who used to be valued at £100 million.
Although Manchester United have been focusing heavily on the attacking third of the pitch so far in this summer’s transfer window, every position on the pitch could do with reinforcements going into next season.
United have lost the likes of Victor Lindelöf and Jonny Evans due to their contracts expiring, and Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martínez both continue to struggle with injuries.
Therefore, it makes sense that United have been linked with some defensive reinforcements, especially with the fact that Rúben Amorim deploys three centre-backs, so depth is key.
While defence is certainly a position that could be strengthened, Amorim will look to prioritise attack and midfield with the tight budget United have.
United back in for Kim Min-jae
United attempted to sign Kim Min-jae when he was at Napoli, where the centre-back was “sensational” and touted to cost any interested parties around £100 million.
But since opting to join Bayern Munich, he has struggled to establish himself in the first team, and with the arrival of Jonathan Tah, the Korean’s future at the Bavarian club doesn’t look promising.
Speaking to CaughtOffside, German transfer expert Christian Falk reported that Bayern Munich have yet to receive any offers for Min-jae amidst interest from the Premier League and Saudi Arabia.
“No decision has yet been made on Kim Min-jae’s future. There have also been no negotiations with the player’s side,” he explained. Falk continued, revealing that both United and Liverpool are two teams who may enter into a race for the 28-year-old later this summer.
“But, there is interest from Saudi Arabia. Kim has not ruled it out. 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.”
Do United need to prioritise elsewhere on the pitch?
As poor as Manchester United were to watch last season, it’s clear that attacking reinforcements are the more pressing need.
While conceding 54 goals won’t put Ruben Amorim’s side anywhere near a title challenge, securing a European spot is still realistic if they can significantly improve on the 44 goals they managed to score.
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That urgency in attack appears to be shared by Jason Wilcox, with the club already sealing a deal for Matheus Cunha from Wolves and continuing to be strongly linked with Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo and Viktor Gyökeres.
Whether United will also move to strengthen their defence by pursuing Kim Min-jae remains to be seen.
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