It is Liverpool (England) that must bring “monster defender” Kim Min-jae (26, Naples). He is determined to catch him by changing his recruiting plan.
British Sports Illustrated reported on the 6th (Korean time), “Liverpool may try to sign Kim Min-jae in the January transfer window due to a hamstring injury to team defender Virgil van Dijk.”
The Daily Express also predicted, “Van Dijk’s injury is more serious than first thought. Liverpool are raising interest in Kim Min-jae, who was a ‘summer target’. You can see that Liverpool are starting to recruit defenders sooner than expected.”
Dutchman Van Dijk suffered a hamstring injury during a league away game against Brentford on the 3rd. He only played the first half and was substituted out at the start of the second half. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp at the time drew the line that Van Dijk was not seriously injured. But things got serious. Local media reported that Van Dijk could be out for a long time due to injury.
Liverpool are currently fighting a fierce battle for the rankings. They are in 6th place in the league with 8 wins, 4 draws and 5 losses (28 points). To qualify for the European Champions League, you need to be in the top 4, and the gap with Manchester United (35 points) in 4th place is quite wide. If the core power Van Dyke is missing, it will have to compete for a tougher ranking. The centre-back options are only Ibrahima Konate, Yoel Matip and Joe Gomez. So, they are trying to get out of the crisis by recruiting Kim Min-jae. 토토
Liverpool seem to be serious about signing Kim Min-jae. It is because he is aiming for Kim Min-jae by revising several recruitment plans. First, Liverpool were thinking of signing Kim Min-jae this coming summer. From July, the transfer fee burden can be reduced by invoking a buyout clause that allows Kim Min-jae to transfer for 50 million euros (approximately 67 billion won) for two weeks. However, Liverpool want to recruit Kim Min-jae as soon as possible even if they have to bear the financial burden.
Also, according to the Daily Express, Liverpool’s number one reinforcement was the midfielder. He is considered a position that must be strengthened due to frequent injuries and the age of the players. However, Van Dijk’s injury changed his recruitment plan. He is thinking of recruiting Kim Min-jae to put out the urgent fire.
Kim Min-jae wore the Napoli uniform last summer. Even though he is in a new league, he is evaluated as the best defender, performing outstandingly without any adaptation period. In September of last year, he was also named Serie A Player of the Month. Not only Liverpool, but also Manchester United, Tottenham (above England), Juventus (Italy), and Real Madrid (Spain) are known to be interested in Kim Min-jae.