Report: Liverpool monitoring £44m centre-back titan who ‘thrives when others panic’ | OneFootball

Another name appears to have been added to the shortlist of potential centre-back recruits for Liverpool in 2026.

The Reds have been linked with numerous defenders over the past couple of months, with reported targets ranging from familiar names like Marc Guehi and Nico Schlotterbeck, to lesser-known alternatives such as Dynamo Kyiv starlet Taras Mykhavko and Union Berlin’s Diogo Leite.

Another man from the Bundesliga is seemingly on Richard Hughes’ radar as the January transfer window slowly begins to come into view.

Liverpool reportedly monitoring Kim Min-jae

As reported by Dean Jones for Flashscore (via The Boy Hotspur), Liverpool are monitoring Kim Min-jae at Bayern Munich, who’s also being followed closely by Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

The €50m (£43.7m) defender has struggled for game-time under Vincent Kompany this season, and it’s claimed that the German champions haven’t ruled out the possibility of a sale in 2026, although they intend to give themselves time to assess his situation first.

A transfer next summer is deemed more likely than a January exit, although the 28-year-old is understood to be focused on trying to regain his starting berth at the Allianz Arena.

(Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

What qualities would Kim bring to Liverpool’s defence?

With Ibrahima Konate’s contract situation still unresolved and Liverpool’s defensive deficiencies being exposed far too often in recent weeks, it comes as no surprise that centre-back appears to be a priority position for the Premier League champions when the market reopens.

Kim might be struggling for starts at Bayern, and he mightn’t represent the most valuable long-term option as he turns 29 next month, but he’d give the Reds a commanding option for the here-and-now who’s a proven operator in the Champions League.

An in-depth analysis by Breaking The Lines has praised his ‘mastery of control’ with the ball and describes him as a highly adaptable ‘tactical chameleon’ and a calm, composed defender who ‘thrives where others panic’.

At 6 foot 2, the South Korean would also give Arne Slot a physically imposing presence at the back, a trait which has grown in importance amid the increasing prevalence of set-piece goals in the Premier League.

Kim is more than just a hulking defensive guardian – as per FBref, he ranks among the top 6% and top 8% respectively among centre-backs in Europe’s five main leagues over the past year for pass completion (93%) and progressive passes per 90 minutes (5.59).

He could need some convincing to leave Bayern, and competition for his signature is set to be intense if he’s put up for sale, but Liverpool could do a lot worse than give serious consideration to the 28-year-old if they’re seeking to reinforce their backline in 2026.