Liverpool are interested in signing Napoli defender Kim Min-jae, according to CBS journalist Ben Jacobs.
Speaking in an interview with TEAMtalk, the reporter claimed the Reds join Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in the race to land the 26-year-old.
“Clubs looking at centre backs will inevitably be scouting Kim Min-jae,” said Jacobs.
“[Napoli boss] Luciano Spalletti has already termed him ‘one of the best centre-backs in the world’ and you only have to look at his form and intelligence and awareness to understand why and there are Premier League clubs looking for sure.
“Manchester United are in a difficult position with that type of player because he sees himself as a starting centre-back and they’ve obviously got Martinez and Varane there. But there’s other teams that are looking to drop somebody straight into their starting lineup.
“Tottenham are another club that have scouted the player and they would be looking to bring in a starting centre-back, as with Liverpool as well.
“And I think that that would give those two clubs a slight advantage over Manchester United, because if Erik ten Hag is going to play a back four and Varane and Martinez are fit, then it becomes extremely difficult to persuade a player in the form and with the potential of Kim Min-jae to go to Old Trafford over those two other clubs. Especially when you consider that he’s not an 18-year-old.
“He’s 26 years of age, so he will want regular and immediate game time. The other thing to point out in all of this is just that he only joined Napoli in July. So as a consequence, he’s played less than 35 games for the club at the time of recording.”
Liverpool interested in Kim Min-jae
Since arriving at Napoli last summer, the South Korea international has established himself as a powerhouse amongst Europe’s best.
As per FB Ref, the centre-back is statistically comparable to the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly, Thiago Silva and Josko Gvardiol – illustrating just how highly he is rated as a player.
According to Corriere dello Sport in Italy (via GOAL), Kim’s £42m release clause – which is meant for 2024 – is set become active for a 15-day period in the summer window.
This could mean Liverpool may be able to grab themselves a bargain, as they look to reinforce their options in the position.
Napoli teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has claimed the 26-year-old is “one of the best in the world”, alluding to a fantastic value-for-money buy.
Therefore, this is a no-brainer, so the Reds should look to exploit his release clause.