There has been an update regarding Manchester United's reported interest in Napoli defender, Kim Min-jae…
What's the latest on Kim Min-jae to Man United?
According to journalist Santi Aouna, the 26-year-old is believed to be a standout target for Erik ten Hag this summer, albeit with the Red Devils seemingly making little headway in their bid to sign the South Korean centre-back.
Writing on Twitter, the transfer insider stated: "Kim Min-jae remains Manchester United's top priority. However, negotiations with the player have made little progress in recent weeks.
"Newcastle pass the second these last weeks. PSG & Chelsea have also an eye on him."
As per 90min, the former Fenerbahce ace is believed to have a release clause in his existing deal worth in the region of €45m (£38m), albeit with that option only set to be active in the first two weeks of the window.
What is Kim Min-Jae's style of play?
While hailed as arguably the "best centre-back in the world right now" by Napoli's departing boss, Luciano Spalletti, it is perhaps uncertain as to whether Kim would be able to replicate his recent heroics in the Premier League, particularly amid his apparent statistical and stylistic similarity to current Chelsea flop, Kalidou Koulibaly, according to FBref.
The latter man was snapped up from the Serie A outfit by Blues owner Todd Boehly on a £33m deal last summer after previously starring in Naples, having been described as "remarkable" and an "extraordinary leader" by the aforementioned Spalletti.
Since the move to Stamford Bridge, however, the Senegalese colossus simply "hasn’t been the formidable defender that he was when he was at Napoli", according to pundit ESPN pundit Stewart Robson, having also been described as looking "nervy" by ex-Arsenal man, Ian Wright.
While somewhat impacted by injury, the 31-year-old has seemingly proven something of a disaster as far as Boehly is concerned, with recent reports suggesting that the American could already be looking to cash in on the struggling asset.
To think then that United could be landing Koulibaly 2.0 with the signing of Kim is then likely to be of concern to Ten Hag, with the Dutchman no doubt wanting to avoid a repeat of Chelsea's dismal error.
The likeness between the two defenders is shown by the fact that both attempt to play out from the back, with Kim averaging 80.35 attempted passes per 90 across the last 365 days, as well as 4.81 progressive passes per 90, while the Blues dud has a similar record after averaging 69.59 and 4.07 for the same two metrics, respectively.
In a defensive sense, the pair are also alike as the latter man racked up 45 tackles and 30 blocks in the league in the 2022/23 campaign, while the one-time Beijing Guoan man recorded only just ahead with 55 tackles and 36 blocks.
As such, the likeness between the duo may have alarm bells ringing back at Old Trafford, with United needing to be careful that they don't follow in Boehly's footsteps.