Newcastle United are reportedly keeping tabs on central defender Kim Min-jae, a player who has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in recent months [via Fabrizio Romano on Twitter].

While United are still believed to be the leaders in the race to sign Kim, Newcastle are still hovering in the background – should United fail to sign the South Korean, the Magpies will likely swoop in.

In Romano’s tweet, he wrote: “Manchester United have Kim Min-jae on their list since October and remains the main target. Release clause, only valid in July as United are in contact with agents; Newcastle are informed too. Understand Man Utd are also monitoring the French market for plan B options.”

Would Kim Min-jae be a good signing for Newcastle?

While the Toon already have an phenomenal backline – they conceded the joint-fewest amount of goals in the Premier League last season – the addition of Kim could make their defence even tighter.

Fabian Schar, as fantastic as he was last year, is not getting any younger. At 31 years of age, the Swiss sentinel will soon need replacing with a younger, fresher talent.

Not only does Kim have the defensive attributes of Sven Botman, he also possesses Schar’s slick passing and ball-playing abilities – therefore, he would be a perfect addition to Newcastle’s defensive ranks.

Kim Min-jae career summary

Kim joined his first professional football club, Gyeongju KHNP, in 2016, after bouncing around various youth academies in his native South Korea.

He moved to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in 2017, scoring three goals in 52 games, before securing a transfer to Beijing Guoan in 2019. Following this, he made the jump to Europe with Fenerbahce in 2021.

After an impressive season with the Turkish giants, he was headhunted and snapped up by Napoli, with whom he won the Serie A title in unexpected fashion.