Tottenham Hotspur has begun to assess its options after the Premier League came to a halt due to the World Cup.
And the Spurs’ management will most likely feel they have a lot of work to do before the new year.
Tottenham appeared to be the dark horses for the Premier League title at the start of the season.
However, there have been far too many underwhelming displays and poor results over the past few months.
Tottenham is, of course, still in a great position when they return to action.
Spurs are in the top four of the Premier League and in the Champions League knockout stages.
However, they will be eager to build and kick on, both in the second half of the season and beyond.
Now, one report has claimed that Tottenham could look to sign Napoli’s Kim Min-jae next summer.
This is according to journalist Raffaele Auriemma, who claims Spurs have already ‘made a move for the 26-year-old.
‘They are ready to pay
Auriemma, speaking to Tutto Napoli – via Sport Witness – discussed the situation with the South Korea international.
“Speaking of strong players, let’s talk about Min-Jae Kim,” he said.
“I’m receiving worrying information regarding the possibility that someone could enforce the clause worth €50m because there is the possibility from the 1st to the 15th of July to buy him by paying the rescission clause.
“Diplomacy is underway to try to extend the agreement between Napoli and the player by removing the clause. We will see if Napoli will succeed.
“In the meantime, there is already one club that has made a move.
“We are talking about Antonio Conte’s Tottenham, who have made it known that they are ready to pay that €50m clause so that two South Koreans can play together: Kim and Son.
“This confirms how the Premier League is fertile ground for this type of footballer.”
‘He is calm and cool in the face of difficulties
Former Arsenal and Real Madrid ace Mesut Ozil waxed lyrical about Kim when they were both at Fenerbahce.
“I saw it in training and watched his videos,” NTV Spor quotes Ozil as saying.
“His defensive style of play impressed me a lot.
“He can handle difficulties, he has a great talent for it, and he is someone who can fight them physically.
“He’s a smart player, he is calm and cool in the face of difficulties.
“He is someone who can deal with opponents very calmly. smart and clever, he doesn’t need to be harsh when he intervenes.”
“Reminds me of Sergio Ramos. I see Sergio in Kim. Someone who can handle anything.”
‘The most impressive defender in the league
Journalist Matteo Bonetti waxed lyrical about Kim on Fotmob earlier this season.
‘Kim Min-Jae has been unbelievably good, to the point where you wonder how Napoli could’ve possibly acquired him for so little,’ he wrote.
‘What’s more impressive is how Kim has matched the best version of Kalidou Koulibaly so quickly.
‘At 6’3, the Korean international is deceptively quick. So you can play a high line without worrying too much about a striker beating him in behind.
‘He’s also very aggressive, reads the game exceptionally well for a player without much experience in the top European leagues, and has looked dominant in the air.
‘While two months is a small sample size to make sweeping statements about a player, so far he’s been the most impressive defender in the league.’
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