Kim Min-jae (26, Naples) is receiving attention from Newcastle and Manchester United at the same time.

British media ‘The Hard Tackle’ said on the 18th, “Newcastle is ready to pay a buyout of 56 million euros (approximately 81 billion won) to recruit Kim Min-jae, just like Manchester United. Newcastle and Manchester United are competing for the signing of Kim Min-jae.”메이저놀이터

A new team stepped in. Previously, Kim Min-jae had been rumored to transfer to Manchester United, Man City, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Bayern Munich. Among them, Man United was the most active. Manchester United, along with Rafael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, planned to appoint Kim Min-jae as their main centre-back.

Newcastle entered this competition. Newcastle is a prestigious English club founded in 1892 and celebrating its 130th anniversary this year. Hometown is Newcastle upon Tyne in northern England. The home stadium, St. James Park, is a place where passionate home fans cheer for every game.

It is also where Ki Sung-yong (34, FC Seoul) played in the past. From 2018 to 2020, Ki Sung-yueng played a big role as a midfielder wearing number 4 at Newcastle. Afterwards, he returned to FC Seoul, his home team in the K-League, via Mallorca, Spain. If Kim Min-jae chooses to move to Newcastle, he will become the second Korean Newcastle player to succeed Ki Sung-yong.

If Kim Min-jae decides to transfer to Manchester United, he will become a junior of another Korean soccer legend, Park Ji-sung (42). Park Ji-sung played as Manchester United’s main midfielder from 2005 to 2012. He is the first Korean Premier Leaguer and the first Asian Manchester United player to increase his honor. He has won the Premier League four times, and has also won the UEFA Champions League (UCL).

Kim Min-jae’s team, Napoli, has a strong will to catch Kim Min-jae by any means. Italian media ‘Il Martino’ said, “Kim Min-jae’s current annual salary is 2 million euros (approximately 2.8 billion won). Napoli offered Kim Min-jae an annual salary of 6 million euros (approximately 8.7 billion won) and offered to renew the contract.

Fabio Cannavaro, who played for Napoli as a rookie and spent his prime at Juventus and Real Madrid, recently appeared on the radio and said, “I know that so many teams want to sign Kim Min-jae. Still, I hope Minjae Kim stays in Naples.”

The value of Kim Min-jae, who stood tall as the best defender in Europe just one year after entering the big leagues, is increasing. Kim Min-jae prioritized transferring to English teams such as Newcastle and Manchester United. Napoli must decide to part ways.