SEOUL– South Korean international centerback Kim Min-jae has been linked to multiple European clubs in recent months, transfer rumors gathering steam as his current deal with Beijing Guoan nears its December 2021 expiration.
The latest speculation had the 24-year-old stud going to Juventus. The Portguese news site SIC Noticias reported last week that Kim had agreed to a deal that will keep him at the Italian club through June 2025.
Kim has been in South Korea through it all, training with the national team and playing in the first of three upcoming World Cup qualifying matches on Saturday.
In an online interview with the South Korean press Monday, Kim said he was grateful for interest from such a prestigious team but added, “I think I am not yet good enough for that club.”
“I would still love to play in Europe,” said Kim, who made his senior club debut with a third division club in 2016 but has quickly evolved into one of Asia’s top centerbacks. “I think every player wants to compete on a big stage. I will have to be level-headed about my decision.”
Kim apparently came close to signing with Tottenham Hotspur late last year and joining the South Korean national team captain Son Heung-min in north London.
Kim admitted that the back-and-forth with the Spurs had been so stressful that “I lost a lot of weight during that time.”
For now, he will keep his focus on representing the country well in the final two matches of the second round in the Asian qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
South Korea routed Turkmenistan 5-0 last Saturday to stay at the top of Group H. With his teammates busy peppering the Turkmenistan net with shots, Kim was often the lone outfield player back in the South Korean zone. And he single-handedly foiled Turkmenistan’s counterattack opportunities time and time again, drawing cheers from the partisan crowd at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul.
South Korea have yet to concede a goal in four matches in the second round, and Kim said he’d like to keep it that way.
“My first objective is to have clean sheets the rest of the way,” he said. “Hopefully, we will win the next two matches at home and finish first in our group.”
While Kim held down the fort at the back, his centerback mate, Kim Young-gwon, chipped in a goal on a corner kick.
Kim Min-jae said his primary responsibility as a defensive back is not to give up a goal, but that doesn’t mean he won’t join the attack from time to time.
“If a defender scores in a set-piece situation, then it will make things easier for the team on the offensive end,” Kim said. “If I think I can help with the flow of the offense, then I’ll jump in on the attack without thinking twice.”
South Korea will next play Sri Lanka on Wednesday and Lebanon on Sunday to wrap up the second round.
Source: Yonhap News Agency