THFCSPURS19
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- Jan 6, 2013
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Spurs interested in Kim Min-Jae, South Korea's 'monster' centre back
Defender could offer cover for when Vertonghen leaves
www.telegraph.co.uk
Spurs interested in Kim Min-Jae, South Korea's 'monster' centre back
Defender could offer cover for when Vertonghen leaves
Tottenham are interested in South Korea centre-back Kim Min-Jae, nicknamed “Monster”, and will monitor his talks about leaving Beijing Sinobo Guoan.
Kim, 23, is locked in discussions with the Chinese Super League team after critical comments about his team-mates and coach were broadcast in his homeland.
Spurs are leading the chase for a £13.5million deal to bolster Jose Mourinho’s defence when Jan Vertonghen departs at the end of the season. Mourinho is also an admirer of Sevilla centre-back Diego Carlos, 27, but his Spanish club expect a fee of more than £35million which will make a move difficult.
Kim has also been on the radar of Everton, Lazio in Italy and Bundesliga clubs after his first year in China after arriving from Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in K League 1 in South Korea. His “Monster” nickname comes from his 6ft 3in frame which scouts believe makes him suitable for European football.
He also has huge marketing value, which Spurs have benefited from with the emergence of Son Min-Heung, Kim’s international team-mate, for the past three years.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has publicly issued a stark warning over the future of football finance, with fears of losing £200million in the next year from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic affecting the sport and its fans.
Kim, however, has a relatively low asking price, plus probable resale value. He looks likely to leave following a recent interview where he criticised Chinese football and claimed he was exhausted covering for his team-mates. He claimed not to know the name of Bruno Genesio, his coach at Beijing.
Mourinho is in the market for a centre-back this summer, with Vertonghen set to leave on a free transfer, leaving him with Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez as his senior men at the heart of his defence and Eric Dier able to drop back from midfield.
