When the 2025–26 season ended and FC Bayern celebrated winning both the league title and the cup, transfer rumors for the summer really started to heat up. Minjae Kim was also part of these rumors. The center back was considered a candidate to leave early on.
That came as no surprise. After all, Kim wasn’t a starter last season, but rather a backup. While he was generally reliable, Kim is also one of the players earning a high salary in Munich. The South Korean is said to earn more than 15 million euros gross, including bonus payments.
Considering that he also cost around 50 million euros in transfer fees, it quickly becomes clear why Munich had been considering letting him go. However, there was a change of heart during preseason.
This was partly because Kim hadn’t really given much thought to a transfer. Nevertheless, the club’s leadership—including head coach Vincent Kompany—has never made any secret of the fact that they value the player’s qualities.
Kim has impressed during preseason
The reason for this became clear during preseason. Minjae Kim was initially used sparingly after taking a short vacation following the World Cup and then rejoining the team. But Kim quickly showed himself to be very composed, appearing alert and focused. Against Aston Villa, he was extremely determined in defensive play, and he also put in a very strong performance from the start against Leipzig.
Lately, he has been showcasing the very qualities we’ve come to expect from him more frequently. The South Korean is an uncompromising defender who has good acceleration and isn’t easily shaken off in one-on-one situations. This allows him to defend well even within Bayern’s high defensive line and not be at a disadvantage.
And he even seems to have put an end to the mistakes he made regularly over the past two seasons. At least for now, there’s no sign of him venturing too boldly out of the defensive line. In the past, this often put Kim at great risk. If he lost a tackle after pushing forward, it left a big gap behind him. So far, that hasn’t happened to him—neither in the preseason friendlies nor in the Super Cup.
First, he’s key; then, he’ll leave?
So Kim won’t be leaving FC Bayern this summer. Even a sudden, lucrative offer probably wouldn’t change that, because in that case, the club would have to sign a replacement. Nevertheless, this could be the South Korean’s final season in the record champion’s jersey. As mentioned earlier, his salary is anything but low, and next summer he would enter the final year of his contract.
Bayern’s plan could be to treat Kim this season—especially if he maintains his form—almost as an equal rotation player alongside the starting duo, but then let him go in the summer of 2027. Strong performances and plenty of playing time should also ensure that, in theory, there will be more interested suitors.
By 2027, it might be time to rejuvenate the defense. By then, Upamecano will be 28, Tah 31, and Kim would be 30. Until then, the club would have time to continue monitoring the development of Filip Pavic and Cassiano Kiala and decide whether to give one of the youngsters more playing time or look for reinforcements elsewhere. And until then, the team has a motivated Kim, who, as things stand, also appears to be in the best form of his Bayern career so far. That’s why it was the right decision to continue planning with him.