Man Utd 'leading race' for Kim Min-jae as summer exit becomes 'concrete'

Manchester United are leading the race to sign Napoli defender Kim Min-jae, according to the latest reports.

Erik ten Hag has been stretched at the back this season, following injuries to first-choice centre-back pairing Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.

In turn, the United boss is keen to add a central defender to his ranks this summer in an effort to avoid a similar injury crisis in future.

In addition, the likes of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof have been heavily rumoured with Old Trafford exits, placing further pressure on Martinez and Varane.

Napoli defender Kim has emerged as a key summer target, having enjoyed an excellent season with the Italian giants.

The 26-year-old has has featured in 33 of 34 matches for Luciano Spalletti's side, helping them win the Serie A for the first time since 1990 with five games still to play.

However, it seems the South Korea international could move onto pastures new at the end of the campaign, with the Red Devils reportedly favourites to sign him.

Kim to Man Utd?

Kim joined Napoli from Fenerbahce last summer as a replacement for Chelsea-bound Kalidou Koulibaly, and has not looked back since, helping form the best defence in the division.

And his form has not gone unnoticed, with Manchester United holding a long-standing interest in the defender.

Meanwhile, Italian news outlet Il Mattino claim that the Premier League side are in 'first place' among the clubs chasing his signature.

The report also states that there is a 'concrete hypothesis' that he will leave Napoli, with French publication Foot Mercato declaring that United have already offered personal terms to Kim.

The urgency to sign him may be due to his release clause, which is allegedly only open for a 15-day window between July 1st and July 15th.

Therefore, a deal would need to be struck between those dates, forcing Ten hag to act quickly should he want to secure Kim's services.

Topics: Manchester United, Napoli, Transfers, Football, Erik Ten Hag, Serie A, Premier League

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno