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Manchester United are leading the race to sign Napoli centre-back Kim Min-jae.
The Peoples Person have been tracking numerous reports which have detailed United’s interest in Kim.
The Red Devils reportedly have offered Kim a wage package “worthy of a star striker”. Napoli are also keen to offer their star man a new contract with new terms, although United’s proposal is far in excess of the amount the Serie A champions can offer.
A representative of Kim recently spoke to the media and insisted that the player is not close to joining United and that his future is far from decided.
But according to the reliable Ben Jacobs, the Red Devils, despite facing an uncertain takeover situation, can be considered frontrunners for Kim.
As per Jacobs, United are admirers of the South Korean superstar and have been exploring a deal for him since the World Cup break.
Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool have also looked at the possibility of signing Kim.
Jacobs points out that Kim has always quickly dismissed talks of a Premier League switch. However, after winning the title with Napoli, a summer exit from the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium is now a real possibility.
“Kim has been keen to understand a range of moving pieces. Firstly, what improved terms Napoli are prepared to offer him even though he only joined last summer from Fenerbahce. Next, and perhaps most crucially, an important factor will be whether Luciano Spalletti stays in Naples.
“There will be confirmation soon as to whether Spalletti remains as Napoli boss. The Italian coach has already held talks over dinner with Aurelio De Laurentiis.”
Jacobs adds, “Kim also turns 27 in November and will want to ensure if he moves he’ll start regularly. That’s the only issue for Manchester United. Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane, if fit, could still be hard to displace. But Kim’s form is so strong that he’ll fancy his chances. He’s known as ‘The Monster’ for a reason.”
The 26-year-old has a €50m release clause in his contract. This is valid for the first two weeks of July. Clubs will want to negotiate and drive this price down even further.
Jacobs states that United will want to move quickly ahead of July to beat their competitors to the chase. But as of now nothing has been done, even though, he says “it is probably fair to term Manchester United frontrunners.”
Corriere dello Sport via SportWitness stated on Monday that Kim can be enticed by the “magical atmosphere at Old Trafford” in the Champions League.
In addition, it is said that Napoli are well aware they could lose their player and are already lining up replacements.
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