With the news that Kim Min-jae has signed to join Bayern Munich, the club has also revealed the number he will wear on his jersey next season.
“Napoli defender Kim Min-jae has signed a contract with the Bavarians until June 30, 2028,” the Bavarians announced on Monday, adding, “He is a complete central defender and was the best defender of the Serie A season. He has strong tackles and excellent build-up play. His nickname is Monster.”
The transfer fee was not disclosed, but Munich is believed to be in line with the €50 million ($70 million) buyout clause Kim signed with Napoli last summer.
Kim recently arrived in Germany to finalize the transfer process, and now that he has officially joined the Bavarian giants, many eyes will be on his every move.
The first thing that caught our attention was his jersey number.
On the 18th, Kessler Philipp, a reporter for German media outlet Teche, said, “Kim Min-jae will wear the No. 3 jersey in Munich.” Before the official announcement, Kim Min-jae revealed the number he will use next season, which was confirmed by the official announcement.
Kim Min-jae previously wore the number 3 at Yonsei, and after his professional debut, he played for Jeonbuk Hyundai, Fenerbahçe in 2021/22 and Napoli in 2022/23, and he will continue his fond memories of wearing the number 3 in Munich.
Meanwhile, even before the official announcement, Kim Min-jae’s arrival in Munich had already attracted the attention of soccer fans.
German media outlet Bild reported Kim’s arrival in Munich with the headline “Munich’s freshman is in Munich” on Aug. 18 (KST).
“We have exclusively captured Kim Min-jae in Munich. He is now on his way to his new employer, Bayern Munich, and the contract will be signed there,” Bild said, adding that Kim appeared at the Munich training ground and was in the process of signing a contract. In the photo released by Bild, Kim is seen walking around the training ground in a suit.
According to soccer officials, Kim flew to Germany via Incheon Airport on the 17th, and according to media representatives of the Munich club, he is currently already in Munich. It was confirmed that Kim did not fly directly to Munich, but through the western German city of Frankfurt.
Munich had gone to great lengths to sign Kim Min-jae. They went to great lengths to sign the player, including sending him to South Korea to undergo medical tests while he was undergoing basic military training, which is difficult to do even in the case of a private agreement, to prevent him from being hijacked by other clubs. It appears that their efforts have paid off with Kim’s visit to Munich and the official announcement of his signing.
The media pointed out that Kim’s long transfer saga to Munich has come to an end, stating, “Despite the buyout clause, it’s been a long road. According to reports, Napoli wanted to renegotiate, wanting a clause that would allow them to receive a portion of the transfer fee in the event of a resale. Munich stood their ground, and now they have someone to make them forget about Luca Hernandez,” he said of the signing.
In addition to the news of Kim’s move to Munich, several media outlets also revealed the reason for the lengthy negotiations.
According to German outlet Bild, “Napoli pushed for renegotiations because they wanted to include a sell-on option in the event of a resale despite Munich’s buyout payment. However, Munich’s lawyers consulted with them and stuck to their original position.” According to Bild, Napoli wanted Munich to add an option to the sale of Kim Min-jae.
French outlet Foot Mercato also reported that “Napoli have achieved their goal of including a small bonus. President Aurelio De Laurentiis said that thanks to the smooth progress of the negotiations, the club expects to recover a sum of 57 million euros ($809 million) in the medium to long term, which is higher than the buyout,” explaining that Napoli’s plan to add a small bonus was the reason why the transfer negotiations took so long.
Once he has signed his contract with the Bavarians, Kim is expected to join the team’s training camp in Tegernsee.
Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, who is well versed in Munich news, said: “Kim Min-jae will join the team tonight. He will join the training camp. It’s not 100 percent clear yet, but it’s planned, and he’s already arrived in Munich,” said Florian Plettenberg, who reported that Kim had arrived in Munich and was planning to join the training camp after signing.
Following Plettenberg, Maximilian Koch, the chief Munich correspondent for German outlet Aventurer Zeitung, also reported on Kim’s arrival. “New defensive star Kim Min-jae is expected to join Munich during Tegernsee’s training,” he said, admitting that Kim could join Tegernsee’s training camp midway through.
Training camp will be followed by a club presentation. The club presentation, which Munich will hold at the Allianz Arena on March 23, is the club’s kickoff ceremony for the upcoming season. As is the case every year, it’s also the time to introduce the club’s newest players 안전놀이터.
Kim Min-jae was one of the most sought-after players before joining Munich, and expectations were high, so his arrival is expected to be greeted with much fanfare. After the presentation, the team will embark on an Asian tour in Japan and Singapore.
It will be interesting to see what he brings to the table in the upcoming preseason, as he is sure to be a force to be reckoned with in the number 3 shirt.