Kim Min-jae joins Bayern Munich on five-year deal

Korean center-back Kim Min-jae joined Bundesliga side Bayern Munich on a five-year deal on Tuesday, ending months of speculation on where the former Napoli star would end up next season.

Kim Min-jae poses in a Bayern Munich shirt in a photo released by the club on Tuesday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Korean center-back Kim Min-jae joined Bundesliga side Bayern Munich on a five-year deal on Tuesday, ending months of speculation on where the former Napoli star would end up next season.

Kim, widely touted as one of the top defenders in the world last season, arrived in Germany earlier this week to complete medical checks and officially sign with the reigning Bundesliga champions more than a month after first being linked to the club.

Details of the deal were not disclosed by Bayern, although the German club must have triggered the buyout clause in Kim’s contract with the Scudetto winners — widely rumored to be around 50 million euros ($56 million).

Kim joined Napoli in July last year from Turkish club Fenerbahce after a year in the Super Lig, filling a gap left by Kalidou Koulibaly’s departure for Chelsea. Kim immediately fitted into the lineup, earning Serie A Player of the Month honors in September and going on to be a regular starter in the first Napoli squad to win a Serie A title in more than 30 years.

Kim Min-jae poses in a Bayern Munich shirt in a photo released by the club on Tuesday. [NEWS1]

By the end of the season he had racked up a string of accolades, taking Player of the Month twice, in September from Serie A and in October from the Italian Footballer’s Association, Serie A best defender for the season, Serie A team of the season and even the European Sports Media’s continental team of the season.

That single season has already made Kim the most successful Korean footballer ever to play in Serie A, and triggered an arms race this summer as top clubs fought to trigger Kim’s narrow release clause while Napoli looked to shut that door for good.

Bayern obviously won that race, beating long-term rivals Manchester United who had been linked to a possible Kim move since last year. Tottenham Hotspur were also in the mix, having tried to buy Kim years ago when he was based in China, but failed to seriously challenge Bayern’s bid.

“Kim Min-jae has developed extremely well, winning the Serie A title with Napoli last season and being voted the best defender in the league,” Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said.

Kim Min-jae poses with Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen after signing with the German club on Tuesday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Kim, who already has that historic Scudetto win to his name, made it clear from the start that his goal in Munich is to chase more silverware.

“FC Bayern is a dream for every footballer,” Kim was quoted as saying after signing on Tuesday. “I’m really looking forward to what’s to come in Munich. It’s a new beginning for me. I’ll continue to develop here.

“In discussions with the club, it was made clear to me from the start how interested they are in me. My first goal is to play a lot of games. In addition, I want to win as many trophies as possible.”

As is quickly becoming tradition for the 26-year-old defender, Kim also went out of his way to bid farewell to Napoli fans on social media.

“I send this message to all the Napoli fans who have shown love and support. Thanks to you the Scudetto was possible after [Diego] Maradona, 33 years ago,” Kim wrote on Instagram.

“To my passionate club Napoli, Mister [Luciano] Spalletti, my teammates, and above all, to Napoli fans, I would like to express my gratitude. No matter where I will be or no matter where I go, I will remember Napoli and cheer for you.”

The post echoed a similar statement he uploaded almost exactly a year ago thanking Fenerbahce fans as he departed for Naples.

Kim’s arrival at the club's training camp in Tegernsee, Germany on Tuesday was perfectly timed to see him on the sidelines to watch his new club record one of the most bizarre results in professional football.

Facing off against local German club Rottach-Egern, Munich romped to an almost incomprehensible 27-0 win in their first tune-up game ahead of the 2023-24 Bundesliga season.

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With five goals scored in the first 13 minutes and 18 by the end of the first half, Munich made short work of the competition for a farcical win.

There is unlikely to be much that the club can take away from such a one-sided game, although if nothing else there is at least some sign of improvement — the same fixture ended 20-2 in 2018 and 23-0 in 2019.

Bayern Munich are set to fly to Japan in the next few days where they will face some significantly tougher opposition in the form of European treble winners Manchester City on July 26 and Kawasaki on July 29, before flying to Singapore to face Liverpool on Aug. 2.

Flying back to Europe after the Liverpool game, Bayern have one more preseason friendly on the books against Monaco on Aug. 7, before their season begins with the first game of the DFL-Supercup against RB Leipzig on Aug. 12.

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BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]