This is the summer of major reconstruction in Napoli. Long-time pillars of the team – Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens and the best player Kalidou Koulibaly – are all gone.Today, Napoli promoted a replacement for the popular K2 who moved to Chelsea for 40 million euros. A three-year contract with the Neapolitans was signed by South Korean stopper Kim Min-jae, for which Fenerbahçe were paid a buyout clause in the amount of 20 million euros. In Naples, Kim will earn 2.5 million euros per season, which is less than half of what the Senegalese was earning (6 million euros).Napoli’s hunt for Kim went on for a long time and at one point it seemed that it won’t be a successful one. Owner De Laurentiis, as usual, haggled from the start and refused to pay the buyout clause, and the Turks did not think of lowering the price because Kim’s value rose drastically in just one season in the Fener jersey. He made a phenomenal impression in his first year in European football…🚨 OFFICIAL • Kim Min-Jae ✍️ 🇰🇷 pic.twitter.com/XMO6IJwYNl— Ekrem KONUR (@Ekremkonur) July 27, 2022 While Napoli stretched and procrastinated, Rennes entered the race. The rich French club recently lost starting sweeper Nayef Aguerd, who moved to West Ham for 35 million euros. The Bretons immediately targeted Kim as a replacement. The transfer was advocated by coach Bruno Genesio who trained Kim in Beijing, China from 2019 to 2021 and was perfectly familiar with his qualities. Rennes agreed to pay the buyout clause straight away, and Kim seemed to be on his way to France.When they saw that they could lose the talented Korean, the Neapolitans came to their senses and agreed to pay what was asked. But then came the famous “marketing rights”. It is known that in previous years, Napoli often had problems with players and missed numerous good transfers precisely because of the famous “marketing rights” that De Laurentiis insists on. As a man from the film industry, he asks his Napoli players that all the earnings from the rights to their image and work go to the club coffers, which is not the case almost anywhere in the world of football. A number of players rejected him because of this, and as Kim comes from the very profitable marketing market of South Korea, this is also where Napoli got into trouble. After two days of negotiations, the club and the player reached an agreement.Kim arrived in Rome yesterday for medical examinations, successfully completed them and signed the contract today. With a buyout clause of 40 million which is valid only for foreign clubs. If he continues with his current progress, it is not difficult to conclude that Napoli will have a hard time keeping him.##NAJAVA_MECA_6531784##The South Korean international has two great qualities. He is great in duels and in the build-up phase of the attack. These are some of the qualities Spalletti will need after losing Koulibaly. And let’s take a look at the fact that Napoli recently brought in another defender, since Leo Ostigard was bought from Brighton for 5 million euros. Uruguayan defender Matias Olivera (Getafe, 11 million euros) and Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Dinamo Batumi, 10 million euros) were added to the left side.As for Rennes, they continue his search for a sweeper. Bologna turned them down for the Belgian Arthur Thaete even though they offered 18 million euros plus bonuses. Their next target is Atalanta’s Luis Palomino.
