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Bayern sign Man Utd target Kim Min-jae from Napoli

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  • Post published:July 19, 2023

Bayern Munich has confirmed the signing of South Korean defender Kim Min-jae from Italian champions Napoli.

Bayern said that the 26-year-old player would sign a five-year deal with them, but they didn’t say how much the transfer would cost.

Kim joined Napoli in the summer of 2017 and was a key part of the team’s defence as they won Serie A.

“It’s a new beginning for me,” Kim told the Bayern website. “My first goal is to play a lot of games. In addition, I want to win as many trophies as possible.”

He also said goodbye to Napoli and Luciano Spalletti, who was leaving as coach, on Instagram.

“To my passionate club Napoli, Mister Spalletti, my team mates, and above all to Napoli fans, I would like to express my gratitude.”

Kim has played for his country 49 times. Before joining Napoli, he played in China and then for Fenerbahce in Turkey.

“He impresses with his physical presence, as well as his mentality and speed,” said Jan-Christian Dreesen, the Bayern CEO.

Bayern also named Christoph Freund, an Austrian, as its new director of sports.

Freund, who is 46 years old, will join the team at the end of the summer transfer window. He spent the last eight years with Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg.

He takes the place of Hasan Salihamidzic, a former player for the club who was fired in May along with former chairman Oliver Kahn after Bayern had a mostly bad season.

Salihamidzic and Kahn took a risk when they broke up with coach Julian Nagelsmann at the end of March. The risk did not pay off all the way, though.

The club won the Bundesliga because Borussia Dortmund lost on the last day of the season. However, both the Champions League and the German Cup were lost in the quarterfinals.