Manchester United willing to offload £111m duo to sign Napoli defender Kim-min Jae this summer - Reports

According to Football Insider, Manchester United are looking to offload Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof in the summer and buy Napoli defender Kim-min Jae.

Maguire was signed for £80 million from Leicester City in 2019. However, the Englishman has become a bit-part player, starting only four Premier League games this season. Lindelof, meanwhile, arrived at the club in 2017 from Benfica. The Sswedish star has made only six starts in the league this term.

Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez have been Erik ten Hag's first-choice defenders. In case of injuries, Ten Hag has even used Luke Shaw as a central defender. That goes to show the United manager's lack of faith in Lindelof and Maguire, who have a combined market value of £111 million.

The Red Devils are expected to raid the market for a central defender in the summer, and Kim-min Jae has emerged as a top priority. The South Korean has made 35 appearances for Serie A leaders Napoli this season.

The 26-year-old's market value is around £35 million. However, given the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are also interested in the player, Manchester United might have to shell out around £50 million for his services.

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Journalist spoke about Manchester United's interest in Kim-min Jae

Reputed journalist Ben Jacobs recently confirmed that the Red Devils are on the lookout for a central defender. He also said that clubs will be competing in the summer to sign Kim-min Jae. Jacobs told TeamTalk:

“Clubs looking at centre-backs will inevitably be scouting Kim Min-jae. (Napoli boss) Luciano Spalletti has already termed him ‘one of the best centre-backs in the world’, and you only have to look at his form and intelligence and awareness to understand why, and there are Premier League clubs looking, for sure."

He added:

“Manchester United are in a difficult position with that type of player because he sees himself as a starting centre-back, and they’ve obviously got Martinez and Varane there. But other teams are looking to drop somebody straight into their starting lineup. Tottenham are another club that have scouted the player, and they would be looking to bring in a starting centre-back, as with Liverpool as well.”

However, any central defender might not become an undisputed starter for Manchester United. The Varane-Martinez partnership is expected to be a mainstay at the heart of United's defence for the foreseeable future.