Kim Min-Jae (28, Bayern Munich) is reportedly on Inter Milan’s shortlist to join the club. However, the 2000-born defender is behind the ‘promising defender’. The news is yet another blow to the ego of Kim Min-jae, who is currently being rumored for sale in Munich.
“Inter Milan, who have recently favored the signing of Kim Min-jae, are keeping an eye on (other center backs) Atletico Madrid’s Mario Hermoso (28) and Salzburg’s French central defender Uma Sollet (24),” Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Wednesday.
Inter Milan are targeting a center back transfusion this summer. The Nerazzurri have already started monitoring center backs since last season, with Kim Min-jae among their preferred targets. “Inter Milan have favored Kim Min-jae in recent weeks,” Gazzetta dello Sport claimed.
However, the Nerazzurri seem to be pivoting towards a younger ‘prospect’.
“The Nerazzurri have been particularly keen on Salzburg center-back Sollett in recent days,” the outlet reports.
“Sollet is contracted to Salzburg until June 2025. He will not be renewing his contract. 안전놀이터 The transfer fee is expected to be around €10 million (KRW 146 million). It will be a similar transfer to Jan Aurel Bisek, who joined from Aarhus GF in Denmark in July 2023.”
Sollett’s appeal is his physicality, good technique, and versatility: he can play flexibly at three-back or four-back. Injuries have slowed him down a bit this season, but the 2000-born player has a lot of potential for growth. He can play center back or on the flanks.
Initially, Inter Milan had Kim Min-Jae in mind, but Atletico’s Hermoso was on their shortlist. They thought he was the right man to take their defense to the next level. However, with Serie A side Napoli, English Premier League (EPL) clubs Aston Villa and Newcastle, as well as Saudi Arabian clubs also wanting to sign him, Inter will have to think about the next best option. That’s when Sollet, a younger center back than Kim, came into the picture. It is known that Sollet is not going to renew his contract with Salzburg, so Inter will be more aggressive in their pursuit.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, “Inter have sent the club’s sporting director to observe Sollet several times in the past. Sollet’s name has never been off Inter’s radar,” according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
However, what has changed (in the past) is the contractual situation. Salzburg set a high price tag for Sollett’s transfer. They offered a “crazy transfer fee” of €20 million ($29.3 million) last summer and €13 million ($19.9 million) when Napoli approached in January. Inter believe €10 million is a fair price.
The Nerazzurri seem to have their heart set on Sollett more than last season’s Serie A player of the year, Kim Min-jae. The reason for this is age.
“Inter want to sign a promising player,” Gazzetta dello Sport reported.
Kim Min-jae, who joined Munich from Napoli just before this season, has been on a downward spiral lately.
Munich paid Napoli a whopping €50 million ($73.2 billion) to bring him to the club last summer, and he hasn’t been able to “get his money’s worth”.
In the last month or two, it’s hard to see any growth from him. He’s even been criticized as a “bad signing” by Munich because of his sub-par performances. This has led to speculation that Munich might sell Kim Min-jae after just one season. “The future of Kim Min-jae is confusing, and it’s unclear what will happen to him after this season. It is not a problem for Munich to sell him after one season.”
However, there hasn’t been any clear indication that Kim could move to a club of Munich’s caliber. He was linked to Manchester United, but that ended in disaster.
Inter Milan are also interested in Kim but have turned their attention to ‘younger players’. It”s possible to analyze that things have cooled down for Kim, who was a hot commodity in the transfer market last season.
Recently, Kim has had a difficult time getting a starting spot and hasn’t capitalized on it.
On March 6, he was left out of the starting lineup for the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg against SS Lazio (3-0). He did get a chance to play in the Bundesliga match against Mainz (8-1) on March 9, when he was substituted for Dyer in the 30th minute.
However, Kim was again on the bench in the Bundesliga Round 26 match against Darmstadt on March 16 (5-2 win).
Kim then joined the South Korean national team under interim coach Hwang Sun-hong for two March A matches before returning to Munich on March 27.
Upon his return, attention turned to Kim’s situation. However, even in the Bundesliga match against Dortmund on March 31 (0-2 loss), he remained on the bench and never took the field.
Finally, Kim made his “full-time debut” against Heidenheim in the Bundesliga on April 6 (2-3 loss), but was benched again in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Arsenal on April 10 (2-2 draw). Dyer started full-time in place of Kim Min-Jae.
Kim was at the center of a controversial 15-game starting streak midway through the season, but his recent form has led to speculation of a possible sale.
Despite this, Kim has reportedly remained attached to Munich.
According to Bild, Kim is currently a backup player, but he feels comfortable in Munich and wants to establish himself under a new manager next season. Regardless of whether other clubs are in the running to sign him, he has his heart set on staying.