Kim Min-jae starred for South Korea during their game against Czechia at the World Cup amid reports of potential transfer interest from Manchester United
Kim Min-Jae during a South Korea game
Kim Min-Jae has been linked with a move to Man United(Image: Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
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Kim Min-jae delivered a clear message to Manchester United with his performance at the World Cup amid fresh speculation about his future. United have previously been heavily linked with signing the South Korea international, with fresh updates emerging about the defender.
The early hours of Friday morning saw South Korea face Czechia in their opening Group A match at the World Cup, which is being hosted in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Zapopan hosted the match at Estadio Akron, which was the second in the tournament after co-hosts Mexico claimed a 2-0 victory over South Africa in the opener.
South Korea claimed a 2-1 victory over Czechia, bouncing back from conceding the opening goal from Wolves defender Ladislav Krejci with goals from Feyenoord star Hwang In-beom and Besiktas forward Oh Hyeon-gyu.
Kim played the full 90 minutes for South Korea and starred at centre-back as he helped his country claim a vital three points to begin the World Cup with a victory.
The performance from the 29-year-old comes after fresh rumours that United had shown an interest in signing the Bayern Munich defender.
According to German news outlet TZ, United have been sending scouts to watch Kim in action for Bayern, with the defender said to be attracting the interest of several clubs from across Europe.
South Korea’s next match will see them face co-hosts Mexico in Zapopan on Thursday night, where Kim will be hoping to play a key role for his country once again.
This is not the first time that United have been linked with signing Kim, with the defender reportedly a player of interest during his time at Napoli before he moved to Bayern in 2023 after the Bundesliga giants agreed to pay the €50million (£43million) release clause in his contract.
United have already made a busy start to the summer transfer window, with a deal to sign Atalanta star Ederson agreed.
The Reds will pay an initial £35m fee with the potential of £3.8m more in add-ons to take the total package for the transfer up to £38.8m.
United have also been showing an interest in signing Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson, but it’s understood they will now look to pursue other targets, with Manchester City the England international’s preferred destination.