Kim Min-jae (26), a key defender of the Korean national soccer team, successfully passed the medical test for joining Naples, a prestigious Italian football team.
Sky Sports Italia reported on the 26th (local time) that “Kim Min-jae has passed the medical test, and tomorrow he will sign a contract with a 3-year warranty and a 2-year option.”
“A buyout clause of 45 million euros (about 59.8 billion won) has been inserted (in the contract), and the Italian club cannot activate this clause,” he said.
In other words, other teams in Italian professional soccer Serie A, not overseas clubs, cannot take Kim Min-jae from Naples while paying such a buyout amount.
Gianluca DiMargio, a soccer reporter who specializes in the transfer market, also said on his personal website on the same day, “If you look at Kim Min-jae’s contract to be announced tomorrow, it has been confirmed that such a buy-out clause can be activated from the summer of 2023.”
DiMargio added that Kim Min-jae, after a five-hour check-up at Villa Stewart Hospital, had arrived at his dormitory in Livisondoli, Abruzzo, in the midwestern state of Abruzzo, where the team was staying for field training.
Players joining Napoli often undergo physical examinations at Villa Stewart Hospital in Rome, Italy.
Local media Spacio Naples also reported that at 5:45 pm local time, Kim Min-jae posted a picture of Min-jae Kim leaving the hospital and completed the medical test.
Then, about three hours later, at 8:50 pm, citing the club’s official radio channel, Kiss Napoli, Min-jae Kim arrived in Livisondolly, and it was predicted that an official announcement would be made within a few hours.
If Kim Min-jae wears Napoli’s light blue jersey, he will become the third Korean player to play in Italian Serie A after Ahn Jung-hwan and Lee Seung-woo (Suwon FC).
Kim Min-jae, who left Beijing Guoan (China) and joined Fenerbahçe (Turkeye) last season, immediately solidified his starting position and showed his performance in the ‘big leagues’ such as the regular league, the UEFA Europa League, and the Europa Conference League.
Napoli, who placed 3rd in the regular league last season, will compete in the new season’s UEFA Champions League (UCL).
According to local reports, Napoli paid 19.5 million euros (26.1 billion won) to their current team Fenerbahce as a transfer fee and an annual salary of 2.5 million euros (3.35 billion won) to Kim Min-jae to sign Kim Min-jae.
Napoli is planning to fill the void with Kalidou Kulibali, the top Serie A defender who has been in charge of the team’s rear since 2014, with Kim Min-jae, the captain of the Senegal national team who left for Chelsea (England).
/yunhap news