On July 27th in the Beijing time zone, a heavy transfer news shocked the soccer world: Serie A giants Napoli officially announced that South Korean center back Kim Min Ja officially transferred from Fenerbahce in Turkey. It is reported that the two sides reached a three-year contract, and Beijing Guoan will also get 4 million euros from the transfer of the share of proceeds.
Napoli club president De Laurentiis himself confirmed the historic transfer with a group photo. Kim thus becomes the third South Korean player to play in Serie A, following Ahn Jeong-hwan (currently playing for Perugia) and Lee Seung-woo (currently playing for Verona).
Kim Min Jae was originally expected to join Rennes in Ligue 1, but Napoli finally managed to "intercept" him by activating the 20 million euro release clause. Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti spoke highly of Kim, and the South Korean star is expected to be the backbone of the team's new defense and a potential successor to Koulibaly.
According to multiple media reports, Napoli signed a three-year contract with Minjae Kim, with an option to extend the contract by two years, at which time Kim's annual salary is expected to reach 2.5 million euros. It is worth mentioning that because Kim Min Jae signed a second transfer share agreement when he moved to Fenerbahce, Beijing Guoan will also get a share of 4 million euros from this transfer.
Minjae Kim, 25, has been with Beijing Guoan since January 2019, playing for the side for two-and-a-half years.He moved to Turkey's Fenerbahce in August 2021, making 40 appearances in all competitions last season as the team's starting center back and contributing one goal.
