Bayern Munich willing to hold onto defensive stalwart amid criticism and exit rumours

Atrayo Bhattacharya

Bayern Munich willing to hold onto defensive stalwart amid criticism and exit rumours image

Bayern Munich have had a forgettable summer transfer window as they have only managed to secure the signature of three players. 

While Tom Bischof and Jonathan Tah were initial free transfers before they broke the bank for Luis Diaz for Liverpool. 

Apart from that, the Bavarians have made multiple sales but have struggling bringing reinforcements to maintain the squad depth and balance.

Considering their current squad depth situation, Bayern Munich are willing to hold onto Kim Min-jae unless they get a bumper offer for the South Korean from Saudi Arabia as per reports via BILD

The former Napoli man was heavily criticized last season for making errors during the business end of the campaign which resulted in Bayern Munich getting knocked out of the Champions League quarterfinals. 

However, it seems like Kim will continue at Allianz Arena as he reportedly wants to stay and prove his doubters wrong despite losing his starting spot to Tah, who is clearly the preferred option alongside Dayot Upamecano at the heart of the defense for the German champions. 

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Kim Min-jae struggled with injuries and workload leading to errors

Kim delivered impressive performances for Fenerbahce in his first move to Europe in 2021 after being at his best in China and South Korea. 

He eventually moved to Napoli where he played a big role in helping them win the Scudetto and was also the Defender of the Year in Serie A 2022/23 campaign for his resolute defensive displays. 

The 28-year-old caught the attention of many top European clubs and eventually the Bavarians snapped the South Korea international by triggering his release clause for €50m ($58.4m). 

However, ever since his moved to Bavaria in 2023, he hasn't been able to replicate his performances in the Bayern Munich shirt. 

With that being said, the 28-year-old also carried an Achilles injury and went through immense workload which hindered his performances and also hampered his decision making and reflexes. 

Kim has great physicality, recovery pace, spatial awareness and overall game reading skills. While he hasn't reflected that for the Bavarians yet, but this could his shot at redemption. 

The defensive stalwart has been recalled to the South Korea national team after more than nine months as they are set to play a couple of friendly matches against the USA and Mexico next month. 

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Atrayo Bhattacharya

Atrayo Bhattacharya is a content producer for The Sporting News, working across English editions.