Update: Bayern Munich willing to pay expected €70 million release clause for Napoli center-back Kim Min-jae

Update — June 15th, 9:10 PM EDT: Is the price right...or wrong?

If Sky Sport Italy is correct, the transfer fee on Kim Min-jae for Bayern Munich would be €70 million:

That variable price scenario seems...odd — and likely not full correct, but Fabrizio Romano chimed into say that talks were progressing as well:

Multiple Updates June 14th, 6:35pm EDT

According to the latest from Fabrizio Romano (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern are now leading contenders for Napoli center-back Kim Min-jae, who has a €50m release clause that will become active in July. Things seem to be moving fast on the defender front for Bayern, who are poised to have to replace Lucas Hernández.

German outlet Tz spotlighted other options for Bayern, including Villareal’s Pau Torres and Wolfsburg’s Micky van de Ven, both left-footers who would be more similar replacements for Hernández’s role in build-up.

However, according to Sport1’s Kerry Hau, Kim’s release clause makes the defender a tantalizing option for Thomas Tuchel and the current Bayern hierarchy — and additionally, Kim’s name had been discussed even under previous sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidžić in May.

It’s looking more and more like this is a rapidly materializing possibility for the Bavarians.

SSC Napoli center-back Kim Min-jae is being scoped out as a possible replacement for Lucas Hérnandez, per a report from Foot Mercato’s Sébastien Denis (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). Bayern are reportedly open to offering a salary of €10m/year.

The 26-year-old enjoyed a sterling 2022/23 season with the Italian champions after moving from Turkish Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe. That meteoric rise has attracted Premier League interest too, however. Per the report, Manchester United, Chelsea FC, and Newcastle United are all eyeing the Korean international.

Can the Bavarians swoop in and secure his services? According to transfers journalist Fabrizio Romano, Kim is “a concrete name in the list” for Bayern.

BFW Instant Analysis

This would be an exciting get for the Rekordmeister. In Lucas, Bayern would be losing their best pure defender. In Kim, they’d get one of Europe’s most outstanding in that category from the past season. With a contract to only 2025, Kim is likely to move in this window while his stock is high.

But his stock is high. While Napoli purchased him for under €20m, his current Transfermarkt estimation is at €50m. He wouldn’t be cheap, and he’d still join a crowded center-back department with Matthijs de Ligt, Dayot Upamecano, and Benjamin Pavard — whom Bayern might be trying to entice to stay.

And unlike the departing Hernández, Kim isn’t left-footed — which may or may not be an important consideration for Thomas Tuchel’s squad planning. By comparison, there are Bundesliga options such as Wolfsburg’s Micky van de Ven and Frankfurt’s Evan N’Dicka [correction: N’Dicka is off to AS Roma].

However, if Bayern can lure one of Europe’s top defenders, and beat out a host of Premier League clubs in the process, it’s hard to say that would be money poorly spent.

Want more info on the striker debate? What about the rumors of Declan Rice to Bayern Munich? Well, look no further than our newest podcast episode! We talk transfers in this one, and it goes rather in-depth. Listen to it below or on Spotify.

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