Report: Liverpool make call to sign ‘extraordinary’ player after developments yesterday, he’s a ‘monster’

Add as preferred source on Google

Liverpool are ready to firm up their interest in Napoli defender Kim Min-Jae following injury to Virgil van Dijk.

That’s according to Italian outlet Il Mattino. They claim that Liverpool’s pursuit of the South Korean centre-back will become ‘more concrete’ after Van Dijk picked up a hamstring injury.

Jurgen Klopp is reportedly unwilling to leave himself short at the back. As a result, Liverpool are said to be looking to sign a defender in the January window.

With that in mind, Kim is put forward as one of the Reds ‘most interesting’ targets. Liverpool aren’t alone in their interest though, with Manchester United also reportedly tracking him.

Liverpool look to the ‘monster’ for help

Although signing Kim right now wouldn’t make that much sense, we’re all for it. The 26-year-old has been a revelation for Napoli this season. As per The Guardian, his nickname is ‘monster’ and he’s certainly been living up to that.

Furthermore, he reportedly has a pretty decently priced release clause currently in his contract. Should a team be minded to do so, they could buy Kim out of his deal in Naples for around £44m [Il Mattino].

From what we’ve seen of the South Korea international, that sounds like a really reasonable deal. Former Napoli forward Emanuele Calaio has even called his performances this season ‘extraordinary’ [Tuttomercatoweb].

At twenty-six, he isn’t the youngest around. But if Liverpool are thinking of potential successors for Van Dijk, he’s still young enough to take over from Virgil.

But if the Reds, or any other team, are keen to trigger Kim’s release clause, they’ll actually have to wait for July.

Fabrizio Romano has reported on Twitter that the clause will only be valid for around two weeks this summer. Napoli are also said to be very keen to re-negotiate the contract he signed just six months ago, presumably increasing the £44m fee.

However, if they fail to agree a new deal, maybe a January move for Kim would make more sense than initially thought. With Virgil out for the time being, Liverpool would look to have enough cover for now. But beyond that, it’s time to start thinking about what comes next. Maybe it’s worth to test the Italian’s resolve.

A centre-back may well be on Liverpool’s shopping list in the summer, If they can tempt Napoli with a bid for Kim now, then there’s no harm in bringing that forward.

Keep up to date with all the latest Liverpool news and opinion by following Rousing The Kop’s official Facebook page