are reportedly ready to activate a £50million release clause in the contract of Napoli star Kim Min-jae when the clause becomes active next month.
The South Korean has a clause in his contract that, for a two-week period during June, allows rival clubs to buy him for a fee of around £50m.
The 26-year-old has earned himself a reputation as one of the most feared defenders in Europe since his move to Napoli, which only came in 2022.
The Serie A giants paid £18m for the defender and he helped the club end their 30-year wait for a league title earlier this month.
Napoli’s £18m for Min-jae came less than two years after he joined Fenerbahce for just £3m.
It was during his time in Turkey that then-Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho earmarked the defender as a future star.
Mourinho spoke with the South Korean on facetime and told him how much he wanted him to move to north London.
However, Mourinho’s revealed that Daniel Levy was unwilling to pay the £8.6m asking price and Spurs missed out on the defender.
‘I can tell you a story about one of their players. I spoke to him on FaceTime and wanted to buy him at Tottenham, but Tottenham didn’t help me,’ Mourinho revealed earlier this year.
‘I had some FaceTime calls with him — our bid was €5m (£4.3m), Fenerbahce wanted €10m (£8.6m) for Kim and for Tottenham that wasn’t possible at that point. Now look at Kim and his level, he’s a top player’.
Erik ten Hag has made Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez his first choice pairing in United’s defence this term.
But Harry Maguire could be sold this summer, while Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe will be offloaded.
United would significantly increase Kim’s salary but the South Korean must decide on whether he wants to leave Napoli after just one season.
, .
,  and .
