Wages a stumbling block: Italian clubs can't afford Minjae Kim | OneFootball

Minjae Kim is currently at a crossroads with FC Bayern. The South Korean central defender, who transferred from SSC Napoli to the Isar for a fee of 50 million euros in the summer of 2023, has lost his starting position in the central defense and is currently not playing a role under Vincent Kompany.

In the current season, the 28-year-old has only accumulated 326 minutes of play. Meanwhile, the new defensive duo of Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah has established itself as the undisputed starting formation.

This has quickly attracted the interest of other clubs. According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, Juventus Turin and AC Milan have set their sights on Kim. Both clubs appreciate the robust defender, who won the Scudetto with Napoli in the 2022/23 season and was considered one of the best central defenders in the league.

Despite the interest, a move to Serie A currently seems unrealistic. As reported by the Gazzetta dello Sport, the high salary of the South Korean is the biggest obstacle. Kim is said to earn around nine million euros net at FC Bayern – a sum that neither Juventus nor Milan can currently afford.

Juve and Milan balk at Kim's salary

Photo: IMAGO

Even for Italy's top clubs, this salary is far above the usual range. "Too much for the big Italian clubs," the report states. Kim was courted by several top European clubs in the summer of 2023, but he consciously chose to move to Munich at that time.

He turned down an offer from Saudi Arabia, which would have brought him multiple times his current salary, because he wanted to stay in top European football. This goal is likely to remain, even if his current role at FC Bayern is unsatisfactory for him.

Bayern facing transfer dilemma – Loan as a possible solution?

FC Bayern is aware of the difficult situation. A sale in the winter seems almost impossible due to the financial conditions. Although Kim is under contract until 2028, a loan deal could be an option to give the player more playing time and at the same time relieve the squad.

Given the current competition situation, it will be difficult for Kim to return to the starting lineup in the short term. Kompany is clearly relying on the Upamecano/Tah duo.

For Bayern officials, including Max Eberl and Christoph Freund, the question arises of how to proceed with the central defender. On one hand, they don't want to lose a valuable squad option, but on the other hand, Kim risks languishing on the bench in Munich permanently.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.