Kim Min-jae (29, Munich) is rapidly moving toward a transfer to Saudi Arabia.
European football expert Fabrizio Romano noted, "There is a very high possibility that Kim Min-jae will leave Bayern Munich this summer. Both the club and the player are receiving good conditions. Several clubs in Europe are interested in Kim Min-jae's situation."
There is also a high possibility of leaving Europe for Saudi Arabia. Romano added, "Several clubs in Saudi Arabia are interested in signing Kim Min-jae."
"Bavarian Football Works" also weighed in on the transfer rumors surrounding Kim Min-jae. The media reported on the 28th, "Kim Min-jae is still one of the best defenders in the world, but he is being treated at the level of Harry Maguire due to a few mistakes. When the transfer market opens at the end of this season, there will be clubs lining up to sign him. Notably, Juventus from Italy and Chelsea and Newcastle from the Premier League are representative examples. Several teams are closely monitoring Kim Min-jae's situation."
If Kim Min-jae goes to Saudi Arabia, he could become the highest-paid athlete in the history of Korean sports. This is because if Kim Min-jae in his prime gives up offers from big clubs in Europe, he must receive a correspondingly substantial treatment.
"Bavarian Football Works" added, "Kim Min-jae's high wage demands are being taken as a fact. If Kim Min-jae accepts a move to Saudi Arabia, it all makes sense. Saudi clubs traditionally offer substantial wages to sign top European players, and they are fully capable of paying the transfer fee."
Currently, the top five most expensive players in the world are all affiliated with Saudi clubs. Cristiano Ronaldo (40, Al Nassr) is one of them. He earned $215 million (about 310.6 billion won) just from his salary last season.
Kim Min-jae's comparison is with Kalidou Koulibaly (34, Al Hilal). Coincidentally, Koulibaly was a center-back who played at Napoli before Kim Min-jae arrived. In 2022, Koulibaly left for Chelsea, and Kim Min-jae filled his shoes, leading Napoli to victory for the first time in 33 years.
Currently, Koulibaly's salary is £29,095,364 (about 55.12 billion won). Gwangju has an expenditure of 9.66198 billion won for the 2024 season. This incredible calculation suggests that selling just one Koulibaly could allow them to buy about six teams like Gwangju. Al Hilal properly justified their investment by defeating Gwangju 7-0.
If Kim Min-jae goes to Saudi Arabia, he could easily surpass Koulibaly's salary. This is because Kim Min-jae is younger and in his prime as a defender with higher capabilities.
Then, Kim Min-jae could expect at least a salary of about 60 billion won. Kim Min-jae would be receiving an astonishing windfall of over 1 billion won per week.
Will Kim Min-jae indeed give up his European career for money?
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