On June 1, Portuguese media outlet SIC Notícias revealed that Serie A rivals Juventus have taken a keen interest in Beijing Guoan's center back Kim Min-Ja. The Zebras plan to offer the South Korean star a four-year deal with a liquidated damages clause of up to 45 million euros.
Kim Min-Ja, who played for South Korea's Jeonbuk Hyundai, moved to Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan in January 2019, who offered him a $15 million, four-year contract that pays him as much as eight times the annual salary he earned at Jeonbuk Hyundai. After joining Guoan, Kim Min-jae performed well and became the team's main center back. However, controversy over trolling his teammates on a Korean variety show last year led to tensions between him and Guoan, which became the focus of fans' attention. Any small mistake made by Kim Min-Ja could be magnified and even flirted with as an unwillingness to play for Guoan, making his performance on the field an even easier target in the event of a Guoan loss. As a result, rumors of his imminent return have been swirling, with Tottenham and Chelsea in the English Premier League, PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Eredivisie, and Lazio in Serie A all rumored to be in the mix.
The latest report from SIC Notícias claims that Juventus are very much in favor of Min Ja Kim. Juve's current center back lineup consists of De Ligt, Chiellini, Bonucci and Demiral. With Chiellini's age and Demiral's inconsistent play, the team is in dire need of reinforcement in the center back position.
Min-Ja Kim's contract with Guiao is set to expire at the end of 2021, and Juventus have two options to bring in the South Korean center back: wait for Min-Ja Kim's contract to expire and sign him straight away, or bring him in this summer and then loan him to Sassuolo for half a season to acclimatize to his new surroundings. Juve will reportedly offer Kim a four-year deal with a €45 million liquidated damages clause.
