Beijing, June 1 - Portuguese media outlet SIC Notícias has revealed that Serie A giants Juventus have taken a keen interest in Beijing Guoan's center back Kim Min-Ja. The Zebras are interested in offering the South Korean player a four-year working contract with a release clause of up to 45 million euros. Kim played for South Korea's Jeonbuk Hyundai and moved to Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan in January 2019, for which Guoan paid a transfer fee of $15 million and an annual salary eight times what Kim earned in Korea. After joining Guoan, Kim Min-jae's performance was noteworthy and gradually became the team's main center back. However, last year, he spat on his teammates in a Korean variety show, triggering a conflict with Guoan and making him the focus of fans' attention. Even the slightest mistake could be magnified, and he was even jokingly labeled as "not wanting to play for Guoan", and as long as Guoan loses, his performance on the field could become a target. As a result, rumors of his return have been swirling, with Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in the English Premier League, PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Eredivisie, and Lazio in the Serie A all rumored to be in the mix. The latest news from SIC Notícias says that Juventus is very interested in Kim Min Ja. Juve's current center back lineup consists of De Ligt, Chiellini, Bonucci and Demiral. With Giorgio Chiellini getting older and Demiral's inconsistent play, the team is in dire need of reinforcement in the center back position. With Min-Ja Kim's contract with Guiao set to expire at the end of 2021, Juventus have two options. One is to wait for Min-Jae Kim to sign directly after his contract expires, and the other is to bring him in this summer and then loan him to Sassuolo for half a season to get used to the environment. Juve will reportedly offer Minjae Kim a four-year contract with a €45 million release clause.
