FC Bayern plans to sell a few more players this summer to generate revenue. One of these players is Min-jae Kim, the South Korean center back who plays for the record champions.
He transferred from SSC Napoli to FC Bayern in the summer of 2023, when the team was still coached by Thomas Tuchel. After a season in which many experts considered him the best defender in Serie A, he was expected to take on a leadership role at Bayern.
But although he had some good performances, he never quite clicked. Kim’s play was too error-prone at times; he was unable to bring the same level of consistency he had shown in Italy to Munich.
This was also partly due to the fact that he sometimes had to push beyond his physical limits, playing an extremely high number of games without a break during his early days with both the club and the national team.
The verdict on Kim is mixed.
What’s interesting about Kim’s overall assessment, however, is that even as a substitute who was frequently brought into the game, he was unable to completely eliminate his minor mistakes. That might be acceptable for a pure backup, but he was signed for a good 50 million euros at the time and earns a salary well over ten million euros per year.
Given these figures, one might expect more. Kim hasn’t been an outright flop so far, but he’s one of a string of center-back signings at FC Bayern that all come with a “but”—just like Matthijs de Ligt, for example.
So it stands to reason that the club in Munich is considering letting the defender go. But selling him at any cost isn’t in the record champions’ best interest either. The circumstances have to be right; otherwise, a transfer won’t happen. Another reason is that the player himself isn’t pushing for a move.
When Bayern will have to consider a Kim transfer
On top of that, there simply aren’t many rumors circulating at the moment. Juventus has made a tentative inquiry because Luciano Spalletti, the Bianconeri’s coach, knows Kim from their time together at Napoli.
But since Juventus missed out on the Champions League, the Old Lady is anything but in a strong financial position. And FC Bayern shouldn’t sell its players below market value.
Bayern is under no pressure to sell Kim, so they should only consider a transfer if a good offer comes along. A loan deal with numerous clauses or a total fee of 20–25 million euros does not fall into this category.
At 30 million euros or more, however, Bayern would have to take notice—especially given the salary savings that would result. But that alone isn’t enough. Unlike players such as Joao Palhinha, Bryan Zaragoza, or Sacha Boey, Kim would also need to be replaced.
In other words: Bayern should only agree to a transfer of Kim if, in addition to a good offer for the South Korean, there is also a player on the market who is affordable and whose transfer is realistic.
Such a player would also have to fit into Vincent Kompany’s high defensive line. The defender’s risky style doesn’t suit every player; weaknesses—especially in acceleration—can be literally fatal here. So there’s a lot to consider when thinking about the 29-year-old’s potential departure.