According to Chinese news outlet Sina, Tottenham Hotspur target Kim Min-jae has obtained a new visa to keep playing for Beijing Guoan.
It’s claimed that a number of foreign players in the Chinese Super League are in a race against time to land their visas, but Kim has sorted his.
Kim will immediately return to China to begin playing for Beijing Guoan again, which makes him staying there long-term seem a little more likely.
The report states that Guoan had planned to sell Kim this summer, but the global pandemic and the delay of the league over in China means things have changed.
Unless Guoan receive a big offer, it now seems that Kim will stay put. His visa adds into that idea, with the CSL side seemingly standing firm on the South Korean star’s future.
MK in South Korea note that Beijing would want around €15million (£13.5million) for Kim, but there have been no offers worth more than €10million (£9million) so far.
The Telegraph noted last week that Tottenham are leading the race for Kim, identifying him as a candidate to replace Jan Vertonghen this summer.
Kim had been critical of Guoan teammates who don’t defend well enough, prompting talk that the 23-year-old wanted to leave the club and wouldn’t return to play once the season resumed.
With international teammate Son Heung-min already at Tottenham, a move there could be appealing for Kim, whose playing style is reminiscent of Harry Maguire – but with a new visa secured and a return to Guoan on the horizon, a deal may have just become a little more tricky.
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