'Shock' Tottenham, Kim Min-jae was the replacement for Romero! Newcastle starts 850 billion won acquisition battle... "Munich's three options? EPL big clubs line up"

*This content was translated by AI.

English Premier League (EPL) clubs are aggressively courting Kim Min-jae (30, Bayern Munich). Newcastle and Tottenham appear poised to compete for the 'Korean iron pillar'.

Football specialist 'The Hard Tackle' reported on the 6th (Korea time) that "Newcastle and Tottenham are targeting Kim Min-jae to bolster their center-backs in the upcoming summer transfer window," adding that "Munich has set Kim Min-jae's transfer fee at 40 million euros (approximately 68 billion won)."

The media stated, "Kim Min-jae left Napoli in July 2023 for a transfer fee of 50 million euros (approximately 85 billion won) to join Munich. Although he was considered the world's top center-back at the time, he has not displayed the same overwhelming skills as he did during his Napoli days."

It further added, "Over the past three seasons, he has alternated between starting and rotation roles without securing a definitive spot as a regular starter. This season, he has appeared in 35 official matches, but his total playing time has not reached 2,000 minutes."

Nevertheless, the media assessed that Kim Min-jae's value remains high. Currently, Kim Min-jae is classified as Munich's third-choice center-back, behind Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah. There is ample justification for him to seek a new team to secure playing time and play a key role.

The clubs mentioned by the media are EPL sides Tottenham and Newcastle. The media reported, "EPL clubs are actively seeking Kim Min-jae. Tottenham, which has watched Kim Min-jae for a long time, is preparing for a major squad overhaul after suffering its worst slump in the 2025-26 season. With the futures of key defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven even uncertain, acquiring a new center-back is essential."

Newcastle has also consistently sent love calls to Kim Min-jae. The media explained, "Starting defender Sven Botman has suffered frequent injuries over the past two seasons, while Fabian Schär and Dan Burn are over 30, making a generational change urgent. This is why Newcastle has selected Kim Min-jae as the ideal card to reorganize its defense."

According to the media, in addition to EPL clubs, Italian Serie A giants AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Juventus, as well as Turkey's Fenerbahçe, are also monitoring Kim Min-jae.

The media stated, "The 40 million euros transfer fee demanded by Munich is considered a reasonable level, considering Kim Min-jae is in his prime and has two years remaining on his contract. However, it remains to be seen whether clubs entering the acquisition competition will readily pay Munich's asking price in the upcoming summer transfer window."

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*This content was translated by AI.