Chelsea could now get their hands on a player who José Mourinho rates very highly in Kim Min-jae.
A story from 90min claims that the Blues are a potential destination for the South Korea international this summer, after he helped Napoli win their first Serie A title in 33 years.
If Chelsea do manage to seal a deal for Kim Min-jae this summer, the move would seemingly come with José Mourinho’s approval.
What’s the story?
Well, Mourinho – who won three Premier League titles for Chelsea – called the Napoli No.3 a “top player” back in January as he bemoaned the fact Tottenham failed to pay up for his signature during his time in north London.
As quoted by Korea Joongang Daily, the 60-year-old said: “I wanted to sign Kim Min-jae when I was at Tottenham. I had some FaceTime calls with him.
“Our bid was €5m (£4m), (Beijing Guoan) wanted €10m (£9m) for Kim and for Tottenham, that wasn’t possible at that point. Now look at Kim and his level, he’s a top player.”
Just £9m for a player of the 26-year-old’s quality seems hard to believe, and Napoli have been rewarded for taking a gamble on the centre-back nicknamed The Monster.
Kim – who is said to have a €45m (£39m) release clause in his contract at Napoli – has arguably been the best defender in Italy this season, scoring two goals while also providing two assists in 34 Serie A appearances as he becomes an Italian champion at the first time of asking.
Chelsea face tough competition from Manchester United for Kim Min-jae
If Chelsea are to sign Kim, it seems Manchester United will be their fiercest rivals for his signature.
According to Il Matino in Italy, the Red Devils have already expressed a willingness to trigger his release clause, and have offered the defender a salary of £150,000-a-week.
Of course, there is still a long way to go until Erik ten Hag can consider Kim to be a Manchester United player, although everything indicates that the Red Devils have made the most progress in a pursuit to sign him.
Be sure to keep an eye on this situation, as Kim could already be leaving Napoli after just one season.