Tottenham to return for Kim Min-jae transfer after Chelsea set sights on ‘The Monster’

Tottenham: Is Jose Mourinho back to his old tricks?

Tottenham are considering making a move for highly-rated South Korean centre-back Kim Min-jae as they look to fight off interest from Chelsea. The 24-year-old has acquired the nickname ‘The Monster’ because of his commanding 6ft 3ins frame and dominant aerial presence.

Spurs had initially considered Min-jae in the summer following Jan Vertonghen’s departure but decided against a move at that time due to Beijing Guoan’s asking price.

The centre-back was also wanted by Lazio in the summer but with the rising star an international colleague of Heung-min Son, Spurs will be hoping they have the edge over any other potential suitors.

The Mirror claim Chelsea are considering a move for the 30-cap international which might force Spurs into making a move in this window.

Daniel Levy and the Spurs hierarchy will be keen to avoid another Willian situation, where Chelsea snuck in at the 11th hour to sign the Brazilian from under their London rival’s noses in 2013.

JUST IN: Six players Man Utd want to offload in 2021, Jesse Lingard isn’t one

Those interested in signing Min-jae face a balancing act as they try to delay the potential signing of the defender, as his price is likely to drop in the summer as his contract runs down before its expiration at the end of 2021.

The centre back started his career in his native Korea and was an integral part of the Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors side which lifted consecutive league titles in 2017 and 2018.

In 2019 Watford formally approached Jeonbuk but by that point, he had already agreed to sign for Beijing Guoan.

DON’T MISS
Arsenal ‘held talks’ over Nuno Espirito Santo replacing Mikel Arteta [NEWS]
Dele Alli’s Instagram post after Fulham draw may irk Jose Mourinho [SOCIAL]
Tyson Fury’s trainer predicts when boxer will knock out Anthony Joshua [OPINION]

The defender has a familiar face for Premier League football fans as his new manager at Beijing Guoan, following the recent appointment of ex-West Brom boss Slaven Bilic.

Spurs manager Jose Mourinho had suggested at the beginning of the month that he did not expect to bring in any new signings in the January transfer window.

“I’m not expecting [any business], no,” Mourinho said.

“Times are not easy and the club made a big effort in the summer to try to build a good squad.

“Honestly, if something good happens to us it’d be a big surprise for me.

“I don’t feel the right to ask for something. One thing is to analyse, which of course I do.

“One thing is to analyse and to commit to that analysis, write a report and be committed to that report, which of course I did – I have to be professional.

“Another thing is to demand [new players] which I never do. And another thing is to ask for [new players] and I’m not going to ask for anything because I respect the effort that the club made [in the summer].”

Source: Read Full Article