Report: Man Utd draw up plan to sign £44m star Tottenham missed out on

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Manchester United have reportedly drawn up a plan to sign Napoli defender Kim Min-Jae in 2023, who Tottenham missed out on this summer as the Italian giants won the race for the South Korean star.

According to Il Mattino via Napoli Magazine, Erik Ten Hag’s side look to exploit a clause in Kim’s Napoli contract that allows foreign clubs to sign the centre-back next summer for €50m (£44m), with United’s interest in the 25-year-old defender seemingly growing by the week.

Kim has enjoyed an astronomical rise in recent weeks since his move to Napoli, with the former Fenerbahce star quickly emerging as one of the club’s best players this season as the Partenopei enjoy success in both Serie A and the UEFA Champions League.

The defender was widely linked to many clubs in the summer, with Tottenham agreeing a deal to sign Kim as reported by FootballNews24, however, a transfer ultimately collapsed, allowing Napoli to swoop in and land the South Korean titan from Fenerbahce.

And now, United could soon make their move to sign Kim next summer, with the Manchester giants seemingly eager to improve their defensive options beyond Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, with Harry Maguire being dropped from Ten Hag’s strongest XI in the Premier League.

Indeed, signing Kim will be a bitter blow for Tottenham given how close they were to landing the 25-year-old, yet for United, the Manchester side are making a great decision at looking to bring the Napoli star to Old Trafford in 2023, with the Asian titan quite the addition for any top side.

Manchester United signing Kim will sting for Tottenham

Tottenham were chasing Kim for what felt like years, and for the north London side to miss out on the defender this summer to Napoli was a damming blow for Antonio Conte, especially with how well the centre-back has performed since moving to Italy. Yet United bringing the centre-back to England will sting even more for Spurs.

After all, signing Kim would be an excellent move for United. And with Tottenham coming so close to the defender to the Premier League, seeing an English rival win the race for the centre-back will be a painful sight to see for the likes of Conte and Fabio Paratici.