Man Utd tipped to hijack Man City, Liverpool pursuit of ‘monster’ target after making ‘colossal’ contract offer

Manchester United have ‘opened talks’ with the representatives of Napoli centre-back Kim Min-jae and have submitted a ‘colossal’ contract offer, according to reports.

The 26-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable debut season in the Serie A, helping his team secure their first league title since 1990.

Min-jae has plenty of admirers across Europe, though, so Man Utd face heated competition for the defender’s signature.

As previously reported by Football365, Manchester City and Liverpool are also interested in the South Korea international, who has been described as a ‘monster’ by pundits.

This season, Min-jae has made 33 league appearances for Napoli. In the process, the centre-back has helped keep 16 clean sheets, as well as scoring two goals.

Now, according to Foot Mercato, Man Utd have have ‘submitted a colossal contract offer’ to the Napoli defender’s reps in a bid to oust Man City and Liverpool in the race for his signature.

The Red Devils have already expressed a willingness to pay Napoli’s £53m asking price for Min-jae, too, so the only thing left to negotiate are personal terms.

Indeed, it seems Man Utd now only have the fine details to iron out as they look to lure Min-jae to Old Trafford this summer.

The Korean signed for Napoli for a fee of £15m at the start of the season, on a contract valid until 2025. But now, they could be set to make an instant profit if they sanction a summer sale.

It’s no secret that Erik ten Hag is looking to bolster his defence ahead of next season, either.

While Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane have been in excellent form this term, their recent absence due to injury has shown how little depth Man Utd have in the centre-back position.

Indeed, the performances of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof have left a lot to be desired, and have contributed to Man Utd losing their third-place spot in the Premier League table.

Now, Maguire could be axed by Ten Hag this summer, but only if the manager can find a club willing to take a put on him.

With that in mind, Min-jae could be the perfect replacement for the England international. Like Maguire, the Napoli star can play as a left or right-sided centre back, is strong in the air and can play out from the back.

The key difference between the two players is that Min-jae has barely made a mistake this season. As for Maguire, they seem to be happening almost every other game.

But, barring any twists, it looks like the defender will be heading to Man Utd this summer, and Ten Hag will be hoping he can have a similar impact to the one he had at Napoli.

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