Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur to fight it out for South Korean ace Kim Min-Jae
According to the Mirror, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are set to face off for the signature of Kim Min-Jae.
The 24-year-old plays as a centre-back for Beijing Guoan and is also a regular for the South Korean national team. Prior to that, he featured for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors with whom he won two K-League titles in 2017 and 2018.
At 6ft 3in, Kim is a rising star who is a dominant presence at the back. A powerhouse of a defender, he has been aptly nicknamed ‘The Monster’.
The Blues could be in the market this summer for a defender. Of five senior defenders in our roster, only Thiago Silva and Kurt Zouma have pulled their weight. Set to turn 37 this year, Chelsea will need to replace the former sooner than later.
Both Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger have fallen down the pecking order and face uncertain futures at the club. Both of their contracts expire in 2022 and it would be prudent for the Blues to replace them this summer.
Fikayo Tomori too has seen minutes hard to come by and looks set to leave on loan this month. While he remains in Frank Lampard’s plans, his long-term prospects remain to be seen.
Tottenham were keen on the defender since Jan Vertonghen left the club in the summer. Half a year later, little appears to have changed.
Spurs are keen to avoid losing out to Chelsea in landing Kim. They are keen to avoid the embarrassment they faced in losing out on Willian at the 11th hour.
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Kim’s contract expires in December 2021 and the Chinese side are willing to sell him. Whether the Blues indeed make a move for him remains to be seen.