Chelsea and Tottenham are keeping tabs on Bayern Munich centre-back Kim Min-jae, according to CFBayern.
The London pair are expected to be in the market for a new defender at the end of the season as they look to strengthen their respective backlines in the summer.
Chelsea in the market for a centre-back
Chelsea had hoped to bring in a new defender after Levi Colwill had suffered an ACL injury on the eve of the season but failed to strengthen at the back.
Additionally, the Blues also agreed personal terms with Jeremy Jacquet last month, though were unable to reach an agreement with Rennes for the centre-back, who’ll now be moving to Liverpool later this year.
Chelsea have also been linked with a move for Nottingham Forest star Murillo, however the Tricky Trees are expected to demand up to £50m for the Brazilian.
Even so, the west London side are weighing up whether to approach a more experienced option even if this goes against their policy of buying younger stars.
Kim dropped down the Bayern pecking order
As such, they are considering a move for Kim, who has made just 10 league starts for Bayern Munich this season.
The South Korean moved to the Bundesliga giants in 2023 having played an instrumental role in Napoli’s 2022/23 Scudetto success.
However, Kim is behind both Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah in the pecking order under Vincent Kompany.
Kim has a little over two years left to run on his current deal in Bavaria, though Bayern may entertain a potential sale this summer.
Spurs were previously linked with South Korean star
And his availability would also spark interest from Spurs, who themselves are considering adding experience at the heart of the defence at the end of the season.
Spurs were credited with an interest in Kim before his switch to Napoli in 2022, and could push to sign the towering centre-back later this year.
With question marks over Cristian Romero’s future at the club, the north London side may make a move for Kim as a replacement for the Argentine.
Both Chelsea and Spurs have both sacked their manager in 2026, the former relieving Enzo Maresca of his duties on New Year’s Day before bringing in Liam Rosenior, while the latter replaced Thomas Frank with Igor Tudor over the weekend.
