Kim Min-jae, the South Korea centre-half and one of the rising stars of football in Asia, is primed to move to the Premier League, with Everton having registered a firm interest and other clubs watching his situation. The 23-year-old, nicknamed “the Monster” because of his 6ft 3in frame and ability to dominate physically, is valued at £13.5m by Beijing Guoan, who are prepared to sell.
A host of clubs in mainland Europe want Kim, including RB Leipzig, Lazio, Porto and PSV Eindhoven, but his idea is to come to England. Watford have tried to sign him in the past and remain interested and Southampton are among the others to have inquired.
Kim has 30 caps – a tally that would be higher had he not missed the 2018 World Cup because of injury – and he has impressed scouts with his quick feet, long passing and reading of the game, as well as his aggression.
Kim rose to prominence with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the Korean top flight, winning the league in 2017 and 2018 and being named in the division’s team of the season on both occasions. He joined Beijing Guoan in the Chinese Super League for a reported £4.5m in January 2019 and he has continued to develop.
Kim was a part of the South Korea under-23 team that beat Japan in the final of the Asian Games on 1 September 2018 – a result that secured him an exemption from 21 months of military service. He excelled for the senior team at the Asian Cup at the start of last year, even though they suffered a shock quarter-final defeat by Qatar, and was included in the tournament’s all-star squad.
