Kim Min-jae reportedly to ink 5-year contract with Munich

Kim Min-jae of Napoli (pictured) is on the verge of a move to Bayern Munich FC in the German Bundesliga.

Fabrizio Romano, an Italian journalist, said on his social media on Thursday that "Bayern Munich has reached a verbal agreement with Kim Min-jae for a personal contract. A five-year deal until 2028," adding that "Kim Min-jae has accepted Bayern Munich's contract terms. The next step for Bayern Munich is to pay the (buyout) amount to Napoli." Kim Min-jae's buyout clause is set to be activated for two weeks starting Saturday, with the amount reported to be around 50 million euros.

Italian media outlet 'Calciomercato' also reported on the same day that "Kim Min-jae is leaving the Italian Serie A and heading to the Bundesliga. Bayern Munich has won the competition with Manchester United to sign Kim Min-jae." PSG Chief, a Twitter channel that mainly covers Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) news, also reported, "Kim Min-jae, who was a target for PSG, has reached a five-year agreement with Bayern Munich."

European transfer specialist media outlet 'Transfermarkt” recently valued Kim Min-jae at 60 million euros (approximately 86 billion Korean won). This is an increase of 10 million euros from the valuation made three months ago at 50 million euros. When the 27-year-old Korean footballer joined Napoli in June last year, his value was 25 million euros, which means his market value has more than doubled in just one year. It has been reported that top European clubs, including Bayern Munich, PSG, Manchester United, and Manchester City, have made offers to Kim this summer.

Kim has been undergoing basic military training at an army training center since June 15 and will be discharged on Thursday. It appears that Bayern Munich will officially announce his signing in line with Kim's discharge.


Bae-Jung Kim wanted@donga.com