According to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter Milan have the opportunity to sign Bayern Munich’s South Korean centre-back Kim Min-jae on loan with an option to buy, as a replacement for Stefan de Vrij who could be moving to the Saudi Pro League.
After a magical season with Napoli where he was a key member of the 2022-23 Serie A winning side, Kim Min-jae joined Bayern Munich last summer for a transfer fee of €50 million. However, while the South Korean was hoping to shine on the biggest stage, things didn’t go as smoothly as he anticipated. After initially being a starter, his performance was inconsistent. After the Asian Cup, he lost his place in the starting line-up and was overtaken in the pecking order by Bayern’s January signing, Daley Blind, who joined from Tottenham. At the end of the season, Bayern spent another €30 million to sign Japanese centre-back Hiroki Ito from Stuttgart, further putting Kim Min-jae’s place in jeopardy. He now finds himself in a much worse position at Bayern than he was last summer.
As Bayern’s second most expensive signing in history (second only to Harry Kane), Kim Min-jae’s performance has fallen short of expectations, and he may be put on the market this summer. Gazzetta dello Sport points out that Inter Milan’s interest in Kim Min-jae goes back a long time. In the summer of 2022, when Paris Saint-Germain began to pursue Milan Škriniar, Inter Milan was in contact with Kim Min-jae, but ultimately Škriniar stayed, and Kim Min-jae ended up joining Napoli.
Now, the situation is different. On the one hand, Kim Min-jae may be leaving Bayern, and Inter Milan would undoubtedly be a good destination. On the other hand, Inter Milan and Bayern have a good relationship for many years, with numerous transfers between the two clubs, such as Ivan Perišić’s move from Inter to Bayern, and Benjamin Pavard and Yann Sommer’s moves from Bayern to Inter.
Inter Milan currently doesn’t have enough funds to complete a direct purchase of Kim Min-jae, so the Nerazzurri will try to persuade Bayern with a loan deal with an option to buy. Moreover, Stefan de Vrij, who shone in the European Championship this morning, winning the official man of the match award in the Netherlands vs Turkey match, may also leave Inter, which would free up funds and a position for Kim Min-jae.
After the departure of former AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli, he received an invitation from Al-Ittihad, and negotiations are currently underway. If Pioli joins the club, he will try to orchestrate a move for Stefan de Vrij to the Saudi Pro League. If de Vrij leaves, considering that Francesco Acerbi is already 37 years old, Inter Milan must sign a strong centre-back. Kim Min-jae is one of the options, and Inter will try their best to secure his signing.
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