Manchester United are entering yet another summer clouded by uncertainty. Decisions from the boardroom, a shifting technical direction, and an unpredictable transfer market are all pushing the club to act with both urgency and precision. While internal discussions continue regarding which positions need reinforcement, a surprising name has surfaced on the radar — Kim Min-jae.
The South Korean centre-back, currently at Bayern Munich, has reportedly been offered to several Premier League clubs, prompting renewed interest at Old Trafford. Although central defence was not initially a priority for United, transfer opportunities rarely come neatly packaged, and this one has raised a compelling question: should the club look to bolster an area of relative strength, or focus on fixing more urgent gaps elsewhere?
According to TBR Football, Bayern are open to selling Kim Min-jae just a year after signing him for around £51 million. With the arrival of Jonathan Tah, the defender’s role under Vincent Kompany could be diminished, prompting Bayern to consider offers. Manchester United, along with Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle United, have all been alerted to the situation. At 28, Kim remains a top-level defender, having delivered a strong season in Germany. However, his fee would still be substantial, a potential roadblock for a United side that already features Lisandro Martínez, Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro and Noussair Mazraoui.
Kim Min-jae in action for Bayern Munich, now a surprise transfer target for Manchester United.
So, the bottom line: is it worth pursuing Kim Min-jae at this stage? In my view, the answer is no. While the South Korean is a dependable defender, his signing does little to address Manchester United’s most pressing issues. The real problem lies further up the pitch. The team currently lacks a coherent attacking structure. Rashford is inconsistent, Sancho appears disconnected, and Antony, for all his talent, continues to struggle with impact. With speculation mounting that all, or at least most, of these players could be offloaded this summer, United face the prospect of a complete overhaul in the wide areas.
Add to that the imbalance in midfield, and the picture becomes even clearer. Casemiro might be on his way out, and there’s no clear successor in place to anchor the midfield. With so many gaps to fill in critical areas, spending heavily on another centre-back, especially when there is already considerable depth, seems more like a distraction than a solution.
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Adding another centre-back makes little sense when Manchester United already have five players competing for just two positions. Even if one were to leave, there’s still flexibility and room for internal adjustment. Kim Min-jae is undoubtedly a solid defender, but he doesn’t address the team’s most urgent needs — and his high price tag only complicates matters further. Allocating significant funds to a position of relative strength would restrict United’s ability to reinforce where it truly matters. At this stage, the last thing the project needs is financial rigidity born out of poor prioritisation.
The real focus must be on injecting quality into key areas: creativity and goal-scoring. Defensively, United are far from flawless, but they are not in crisis. Rúben Amorim has enough to work with at the back. What he doesn’t have is a reliable winger, a dynamic midfield, or a clear attacking identity. Without pace and penetration from wide areas, and without control and balance in the centre of the pitch, United will remain flat and ineffective.