Napoli catches Kim Min-jae’s colleague in ‘Big Club Target’…
Napoli catches Kim Min-jae’s colleague in ‘Big Club Target’… Offer ‘at least 2.5 times’ increase in annual salary
Kim Min-jae (27)’s team Napoli is ready to take action in earnest to prevent the leakage of key resources.
Napoli currently has 68 points (22 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses) in 26 rounds, leading Serie A alone. The gap with second-place Inter Milan (50 points) is widened to 18 points, and unless there is an unexpected change, he is likely to win Serie A. It has been 33 years since the late Diego Maradona days, and the top of the league has become closer. Some predict that they can also seek to win the Champions League.
But Napoli, who now want to keep their power for a few more years, are worried. This is because most of the team’s core strength is on the list of big clubs. It is virtually not easy to replace Kim Min-jae, Hvicha Kbaratzhelia (22), and Victor Osimen (25). Napoli have signed a new contract with them and are trying to catch them.
For now, Naples is expected to negotiate with Kvaratzhelia first. Italy’s “Calcio Mercato” announced on the 12th that Napoli’s plan for this summer, which was set up by Christiano Ziuntoli to prevent the leakage of Kbaratzhelia.
Winger Kvaratzhelia joined Napoli in July last year along with Kim Min-jae. Georgia native Kvaratzhelia has signed a contract until 2027, with a transfer fee of only 10 million euros. While playing for Rubin Kazan (Russia), where Hwang In-beom (Olympiacos) played, he was spotted by Napoli scouts.
Kvaratzhelia has 11 goals and 11 assists in 22 league games this season. In this regard, the media emphasized, “If Hvicha plays, Napoli always starts at 1-0, highlighting Kbaratzhelia’s presence.”
In contact with Kbaratzhelia’s agent over the past few weeks, General Manager Jiuntoli explained that he could extend his contract for another year until 2028 and above all, raise his salary 2.5 times. Kvaratzhelia is currently receiving 1 million euros after tax, but it is expected to rise to at least 2.5 million euros if a new contract is signed.
Kvaratzhelia has a presence that is comparable to Maradona in the past. He was named Serie A Player of the Month twice this season. Big clubs such as Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Newcastle United are flooded with love calls. It’s literally the cheapest price today.
Unlike Kvaratzhelia, negotiations with Kim Min-jae seem to be hard to find a solution. Kim Min-jae signed a 3+2 year contract with Napoli, but inserted a 50 million euros buyout clause. At the time of joining the team, this amount of buyout seemed sufficient, but as Kim Min-jae’s performance continued, it became a condition for overseas clubs to easily target Kim Min-jae.
Napoli are trying to get rid of this buyout clause. However, as Kim Min-jae is known to not want it, the goal has been changed to an increase in the buyout amount. It will be launched for two weeks from July 1 to 15, but big clubs such as Manchester United are expected to compete fiercely for recruitment.