Manchester United are set to pull out of the race to sign Kim Min-jae, with the 26-year-old defender leaning towards joining Bayern Munich.
According to Football Insider, Manchester United are seriously considering pulling out of the race to sign Kim Min-jae. The Red Devils were hopeful of signing the 26-year-old defender from Napoli, but now the South Korean is leaning towards joining Bayern Munich.
Manchester United had a plan in the background on how they wanted to strengthen their squad in the summer. Part of their objectives included a new centre-back, with Napoli’s Kim Min-jae emerging as their top target. While they looked like the favourites for the 26-year-old defender, things have gone in a different direction.
Kim Min-jae already rejected a contract proposal from Napoli amid growing links to Manchester United. The Premier League giants had also reportedly offered a lucrative contract to the South Korean, with his team satisfied with the proposal.
The only complication was the supposed release clause in Kim Min-jae’s contract which only activates in July. Manchester United did not want to pay over and above that clause, which put negotiations on hold until the condition was activated.
In the meantime, Bayern Munich have swooped in for the £53,000-a-week defender and are now close to agreeing on personal terms with Kim Min-jae. The Bavarians have made a concerted effort in the background and convinced the 26-year-old defender to accept their project.
Once talks began advancing with Bayern, Manchester United had fears about losing ground on the 26-year-old defender. Things are beyond their control now, and the Red Devils are set to pull out of the race as Kim Min-jae leans towards the Bundesliga side.
Who they target next for the central defensive berth remains the question, although there are barely any names to link. For now, Manchester United remains focused on signing Mason Mount after submitting a third bid. They had hoped to wrap up the Mount transfer and switch to Kim Min-jae, but now they must look at another option.
They are also keen to offload captain Harry Maguire, although they are trying to renew Victor Liundelof’s contract at Old Trafford. Ten Hag still hopes to sign a high-profile centre-back as they return to the Champions League and aim to go the distance.
