If it weren’t for a buyout clause, Napoli’s Kim Min-jae (27) could be sold for more than €90 million, according to an analysis.
Luca Cercione, a journalist for ‘Tutti-Albar’, drew attention to the value of Kim Min-jae through ‘Sport Italia’ on June 26 (KST), saying that Napoli won the title after 33 years.
[Photo] ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved) 메이저놀이터
“There are many Napoli players who will be eternally grateful to Luciano Spalletti,” said Chercione, “and in terms of price, we can mention Kim Min-jae. He joined Napoli last summer for €20 million and now he will not be sold for less than €50 million.”
Kim joined Napoli from Fenerbahçe (Turkkiye) in July last year. He was initially expected to move to Stade Rennes (France), but Napoli succeeded in hijacking him after Spalletti’s active courtship.
[Photo]Napoli social media
“A miracle happened with the buyout clause and that’s one of the reasons why he signed the contract,” said Chercione. “He was going to sign for Rennes, but the coach was able to convince him with the Champions League and the possibility of a move next season.”
In reality, Kim signed a 3+2 year contract with Napoli. However, he inserted a buyout clause between July 1 and 15 of this summer, leaving the door open for a move after just one season.
Of course, Napoli didn’t expect Kim to trigger the buyout clause, which is worth €50-60 million. That’s why we call it a miracle. But with each passing game in Serie A and the UEFA Champions League, Kim proved his worth.
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This summer, Kim became a top target for not only Manchester United, but also other big European clubs such as Manchester City, Newcastle United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich.
These clubs have been aggressively pursuing Kim as they believe his buyout clause is ridiculously low considering he is considered one of the best defenders in the world. United are believed to be the frontrunners in the race for Kim, with an offer of €9 million ($12.8 billion).
[Photo: Napoli social media
“If there was no buyout clause, Kim would be worth 90 million euros (about 12.8 billion won),” Chercione claimed. The U.K.’s 90min also had a high opinion, stating that “Kim Min-jae is worth a ransom of 100 million euros ($142.2 billion)”.
Although this is not an official figure, it shows that Kim is one of the best defenders in the world, and that his participation in the Champions League is an important condition for his transfer.