Manchester United have been linked with a move for Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae
Bayern Munich star Kim Min-jae has made it clear that he wants to remain with the Bundesliga giants, despite repeated claims that a move to Manchester United may be on the cards. The Red Devils have been tipped to be a potential destination for the South Korea international ever since he was at Napoli.
Kim eventually left the Serie A club to move to Bayern in 2023, and since then has still been mentioned on the rumour mill as a potential signing for United.
United have added three new players to their squad with Andre Santos, Youri Tielemans and Karl Darlow all completing moves to Old Trafford this summer.
Since joining Bayern, Kim has made 116 appearances for the German giants over the last three years, but has often been forced to sit behind Jonathan Tah and Dayot Upamecano in the centre-backing pecking order.
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Consequently, United have frequently been linked with a swoop for Kim, but the defender has made his position crystal clear that he wishes to stay with the Bundesliga giants for now.
“As a player, just to be with a team like Bayern Munich is a blessing,” Kim told reporters, via South Korea news outlet Yonhap. “Last season, I thought I played a lot of matches.
“I am competing as the third defender [behind Upamecano and Tah], and I know I have no choice but to work hard.
“I think the coach will give me a lot of opportunities, and I think I will stay put.”
Bayern manager Vincent Kompany was also quizzed about Kim’s position in the squad and praised the South Korea international.
“We have always talked about competition is something that I like personally. It is something that I have known, is something that I have experienced,” Kompany said.
“I have been in the position of Min-jae, Upa [Upamecano] and Tah, all in one cycle when I was at Manchester City myself as a defender.
“The main thing is to have the quality and then afterwards for them to compete to prove on the pitch.
“What I will give a compliment to Min-jae [about] is that no matter what, he keeps the focus, and he does the talking on the pitch.”
He added: “In every situation, he has had the right response. His performances have been really good last season for us.
“You can decide who is one, two, three and four. People always make these rankings, but for me, more importantly, because he performs how he does, everybody else in the position has to be good as well.
“And that is what I want to maintain in the team, not just in the centre back position but in every position, if possible.”