Napoli are now on the verge of beating interest from Tottenham Hotspur to sign Kim Min-Jae from Fenerbahce after agreeing to a release clause in the defender’s contract for 2024.
That’s according to Calciomercato, who report the Azzurri no longer fear competition from Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais for Min-Jae. Napoli have moved fast to finalise the South Korea international’s arrival in Serie A after deeming him the ideal successor to Kalidou Koulibaly.
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Napoli now only have two final hurdles to overcome to secure a complete agreement with the 25-year-old. Min-Jae has been insistent on the inclusion of a release clause in his terms at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, whilst also negotiating control of his image rights.
Napoli will trigger a release clause in Min-Jae’s contract with Fenerbahce worth just under €20m (£17m) for his transfer. It is anticipated that the Azzurri will reach a total agreement by Friday, as well, with a 100-page contract in the making worth €2.5m-a-season (£41k-a/w).
Min-Jae accepted the Naples natives’ net offer for a three-year contract after they agreed to include a release clause, which will only become active in 2024. Napoli will set the break fee at €40m (£34m), and it should be enough to overcome rival interest shown from Tottenham.
Napoli to scupper long-term Tottenham interest and sign Min-Jae
Tottenham have held a long-standing interest in the likely Napoli-bound Min-Jae, having eyed a move for the defender before he joined Fenerbahce from Beijing Guoan last year. Football.london have cited Spurs’ admiration of the defender as far back as summer 2020.
Their appreciation of Min-Jae has maintained this summer, too, with Martin Lipton citing the South Korean among the defender’s on Tottenham’s shortlist. But Antonio Conte now looks highly unlikely to acquire a player who is often considered the best defender in his country.
“Min-Jae is hailed as one of the best centre-backs South Korea has produced in [the] 21st century,” Sungmo Lee, from Goal Korea, once told football.london. “He has huge potential. He’s big, strong and fast. He’s strong in the air, and also has good feet.”
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