Tottenham Hotspur are keen on signing 23-year-old South Korean International Kim Min-Jae, it has been claimed.
As per Football.London, Tottenham are hoping to beat the interest from other Premier League sides and sign the defender who is rated at £15million.
Min-Jae is an international teammate of the Spurs star Son Heung-Min, and the attacker could play a role in convincing his compatriot.
The 23-year-old is being monitored by the likes of Leipzig, Lazio, Porto, Eindhoven, Southampton and Inter Milan as well. It will be fascinating to see if Spurs can secure his services this summer.
Kim Min-Jae – The quality depth that Tottenham Hotspur need
Kim joined Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, one of South Korea’s biggest clubs, when he was just 19 years of age, and named the K-League Young Player of the Year in only his first season in the Korean top flight.
KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images
His performances for Jeonbuk saw him break into South Korea’s national side as well, and he has been capped 30 times by South Korea so far.
After a splendid couple of seasons in his home country, the centre-back was signed by Chinese Super League club, Beijing Guoan. The defender has only played one season in China so far, but has already established a reputation as one of the best centre-backs in the division.
The one Premier League player Kim is most similar to in his style is Harry Maguire. The 23-year-old often nicknamed as ‘the monster’ is dominant in 50-50 duels, but also capable of stepping out with the ball at his feet. But unlike Maguire, he is deceptively quick and is good on the ball in tough situations.
However, his tendency to try and win the ball means that he will have to be paired with a more conservative partner, like Toby Alderweireld, rather than someone like Davinson Sanchez, who also looks to win the first ball.
Kim is particularly known for his physical presence and ability in the air, challenging for duels. He is quite an imposing figure at the back as he stands 1.9m tall, which explains why Mourinho is keen to sign him in the summer.
The 23-year old also has an excellent ability on the ball and an impressive range of passing, which are attributes he will need should he choose the Premier League as his next destination.
Jan Vertonghen’s departure has left a gap in the Tottenham defence, so Spurs should react quickly and sign Kim before it’s too late.