According to an exclusive report from 90min, Liverpool have recently monitored South Korean defensive star Kim Min-jae alongside rivals Man City and Tottenham – with Chinese Super League club Beijing Guoan ‘prepared‘ to sell the player for £15 million.
Min-jae, nicknamed the ‘monster‘ in Asia due to his towering 6ft 3 frame and ‘immense‘ ability, has also been likened as an equivalent to Reds hero Virgil van Dijk – with Jurgen Klopp and co recently eyeing a move for the 23-year-old according to 90min.
Who should Liverpool sign to partner Van Dijk?
Min-jae
Koulibaly
Sarr
Skriniar
Indeed, while Spurs look to be doing all the negotiating at present, with the north London side optimistic they can reach a deal, Liverpool have been touted with interest along with City.
A number of Premier League clubs have also kept tabs over this past year, including Everton, Watford, Southampton Inter, RB Leipzig, Porto and Monaco according to both the Guardian and 90min.
While the centre-back arguably plies his trade in an inferior division, Min-jae has already racked up some noteworthy accolades on the international stage along with an impressive 30 caps for South Korea.
Still in his early 20s, Min-jae was named in the 2019 Asian Cup team of the tournament despite his side unexpectedly crashing out at the hands of minnows Qatar, and now Guoan are ‘prepared‘ to offload him to the right side for the right price.
Apparently, Spurs and the club are still yet to reach an agreement on the fee, potentially gifting Liverpool a chance to swoop in and sign Van Dijk’s would-be future centre-back partner.
Whether or not we challenge Tottenham remains to be seen, but Min-jae may well be one to watch out for.