Kim Min-jae must be acquired by Manchester United this week or else they run the risk of losing track of him and having him sign with Bayern Munich, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Erik ten Hag may end up missing out on important transfer targets like Kim since the Glazer family has yet to officially announce that they will be taking over the club.
The center back for Napoli, who was awarded the league's best defender this year, is apparently close to joining Bayern Munich.
As per 90min, Manchester United had been 'following Kim for months' but 'progress in discussions' has been'slow' with the 26-year-old, allowing Bayern to come in and take a lead on signing the player.
A clause in the South Korean international's contract with Napoli allows him to leave the team for just €50 million (£43 million), and it goes into effect in July.
The Daily Express predicts that United will now focus on three other center-back targets. These players are Jurrien Timber of Ajax, Jean-Clair Todibo of Nice, and Axel Disasi, vice captain of Monaco in Ligue 1.
"For Kim Min-jae, at the moment, it is still complicated. For Manchester United, if they want to do something, it has to be this week. At least the first days of next week. Otherwise, the player will go to Bayern Munich," Fabrizio Romano told GiveMeSport.
Simply put, Kim is the best center-back on the market right now, and he's doing it for a price that, without his release clause, would probably be at least twice as high. Kim is a fantastic modern defender who is at ease playing out from the back under pressure and is strong, quick, and a great game reader.
Kim would have been able to rotate with Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane at Old Trafford without ten Hag experiencing any kind of drop-off in the caliber of his backline, as has been the case over the course of the past season where Harry Maguire has struggled when selected. Kim is right-footed but used to playing on the left-side for Napoli. To his credit, Victor Lindelof did better, but he is still only the fourth option.
With Kim presumably on his way to Bayern, the Bavarians will have what is arguably the strongest center-back pairing in Europe, as Kim will team up with Matthijs de Ligt.