Manchester United could reignite their interest in Bayern Munich midfielder Kim Min-Jae who is enduring miserable times at the Bavarian club.
The 28-year-old South Korean national gained prominence during his time at Fenerbahce, before consolidating his status in his solitary campaign at Napoli in 2022/23, leading the Partenopei towards their first Scudetto title in 33 years, and earning himself the Serie A Best Defender Award in the process.
From this standout season in Italy, the centre-back’s exploits were recognised by Bayern Munich, who triggered his roughly £42 million release clause.
Unfortunately, Kim was blamed by Bayern fans for their Champions League exit last season against Real Madrid, and this campaign it seems history has repeated itself.
The South Korean has again been blamed by fans for the German club’s elimination after their loss against Inter Milan in the quarter finals of the competition.
‘A very sensitive guy’
As Christian Falk has explained, as per his latest column for CF Bayern Insider: “Kim Min-jae is a very sensitive guy. It may not seem that way from an outsider’s perspective, but I can assure you that this is the case.
He was incredibly down, as it was ultimately his fault that Bayern went out of the Champions League against Inter Milan.
It wasn’t exclusively his fault, of course, but, for context, it’s worth bearing in mind that Min-Jae was also to blame for Bayern’s failure to get past Real Madrid in the semi-finals last year.”
The South Korean, who has previously held the nickname “The Monster,” turned off the comments on his socials, as he couldn’t bear to keep reading what the fans were writing about him.
Therefore, Falk believes this could be the golden opportunity for United to resume their pursuit of the defender they tried to capture last summer, who could be seeking a way out of the club.
United to consider the defender?
However, the Bundesliga insider reveals that United might be reluctant to sign another Bayern star, as they aren’t entirely pleased with their recent purchases from Bavarian giants, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
Falk explained: “I also heard from United that they are not so confident in the signings they’ve recently made from Bayern Munich! So, they’ll have to think about whether it’s the best strategy for them.”
Kim Min-Jae has a lot of quality, but I think he hasn’t been able to showcase this at Bayern, as he needs a defensive partner who is vocal and provides him with instructions.
United could do with a new central defender, as Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof are both set to leave this summer, with Lisandro Martinez struggling with an ACL injury too.
However, with United’s current shambolic league form, both in defence and attack, a ‘sensitive’ and mentally-torn defender could well be a recipe for disaster, so INEOS may want to avoid this one.
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