adminFor the first time, news that Premier League side Newcastle United are attempting to steal Kim Min-jae from next season’s UEFA Champions League has come from a leading Newcastle-based journalist.
Calcio Napoli published an interview with Lee Ryder, a reporter for Chronicle Live, a local newspaper in Tyneside, England, on Sept. 9, revealing that Newcastle have joined the race for Kim Min-jae.
Kim joined Napoli from Turkkiye Fenerbahçe last summer and has been a star performer since his debut season in the big leagues, helping the club win the Italian Serie A title for the first time in 33 years. He appeared in 35 of Napoli’s 38 Serie A matches, starting all of them and playing 30 full games. At the end of the season, he became the first Asian player to be named Serie A’s Best Defender.
It’s no wonder that Premier League clubs are clamoring for the “Eldorado of world soccer. Kim can activate his buyout clause, which is worth at least 50 million euros (about $70 billion), between July 1 and 15. Several big clubs have emerged to take advantage of this period, with Manchester United reportedly conducting a lengthy courtship since October last year.
More recently, however, Newcastle, who are qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in 21 years since 2002, have entered the race for Kim. Newcastle also seems to have the idea that in order to succeed on the European stage, they need to hold on to a quality defender like Kim Min-jae.
“Newcastle have qualified for the Champions League, which no one expected,” said Ryder, “but they will be drawn in the lowest pot, Port 4 (the lowest seed), which will further strengthen their squad.” “Newcastle will be looking at a number of names, including some key Serie A players.”
Newcastle’s pursuit of Kim Min-jae also began for this reason.
“Newcastle are chasing Kim, but they have to compete with Man United,” said Ryder, who added: “Both clubs have the ability to make a buyout. Kim is in favor of United, but Newcastle could try to convince him by offering a higher salary.”토토사이트
United’s current owners, the Glazer family, have put the club up for sale but have been slow to finalize a deal. Newcastle, on the other hand, has been investing heavily since being bought by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund two years ago. They’ve acquired a lot of young, up-and-coming talent and transformed their clubhouse to the highest standards.
At that point, they reached the Champions League, and with Kim Min-jae, they’ll be looking for quick success in Europe.