A Bola have claimed that Arsenal, Watford and Porto are interested in signing Beijing Guoan’s Kim Min-jae.
The South Korean has 18 months left on his current contract in China, and is attracting serious interest from Europe.
Min-jae, alongside Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min and RB Salzburg’s Hwang Hee-chan, is one of the most popular South Korean players at the moment, and he could become a huge hit in Europe.
The 23-year-old has 30 caps for South Korea already and has proved to be a very solid defender. His dominant physical traits have earned him nicknames such as ‘the monster’ and ‘the Korean van Dijk’ back in his home country. (Watford Observer)
Min-jae’s style a perfect fit for Arteta’s philosophy
Min-jae suits Arteta’s system perfectly. The young defender is extremely comfortable on the ball and has been an integral part of South Korea’s style of playing out from the back.
He has the quality to drill incisive passes to the midfield or even ping long diagonals to release the strikers.
Min-jae could well replace David Luiz at Arsenal, either this summer or a year later if the Brazilian extends his contract at the Emirates in the coming weeks.
The South Korean is reportedly available for just £13.5 million this summer. That shouldn’t be that big a fee for the two Premier League sides, even in today’s difficult financial climate.
The Gunners are looking at inexpensive deals due to their economic constraints, which could be why Min-jae is among the defenders they are considering this summer.
It will be interesting to see if Arsenal will follow up on their interest in the impressive young defender.
The Premier League is a completely different ball game compared to the Chinese Super League, but his performances with the national team could convince the Gunners to take a punt at him in this summer’s transfer window.
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