Inter Milan is weighing three defenders, including Kim Min-jae Bayern Munich, on its recruitment list ahead of the summer transfer market.

Italian media ‘La Gazeta delo Sport Gazeta’ reported on the 22nd that “Kim Min-jae is Pierre Ausilio Inter Milan Director’s No. 1 target who seeks to reinforce defense.”

Inter Milan, Italy’s prestigious club with 19 Serie A titles and a league lead in the 2023-23 season and on the verge of 20 titles in its career, began discussing the recruitment of Kim Min-jae ahead of the upcoming summer transfer market.

The reason why Inter Milan suddenly put Kim Min-jae on the recruitment list is largely related to the recent controversial racist incident of Francesco Acerby.

Italian veteran center back Acerbi, born in 1988, who is 36 years old this year, signed a two-year contract with Inter Milan last summer. Despite entering the twilight of his career as a soccer player, Acerbi has played in 32 matches this season, with two goals and two assists. Thanks to Acerbi’s performance, Inter Milan is leading the Serie A league by allowing just 14 goals in 29 matches.

Achervi, who is playing at the center of Inter Milan’s defense this season, is in danger of being disciplined for his recent racist remarks.

The situation occurred in the 29th round of Italian Serie A between Inter Milan and Napoli in the 2023-2024 season on the 18th. While the game ended in a 1-1 draw, Napoli’s Brazilian defender João Jezus claimed to have received racism from Acerbi, which caused controversy.

During the game, Acerbi told Jesus, “Get off, black man, you’re just Nigro,” according to a statement posted on his social media after the game. “Negro” is a word derived from the Latin word “Niger,” which means black, but it is well known for its racist language that demeans black people in the modern world. 메이저사이트

Later, when Jesús protested against the referee, Acervi admitted his wrongdoing. He explained to Jesús, “To me, Nigro is like a common curse word,” but when it became controversial, he insisted that there was no racist comment, which angered Jesús.

On the controversy over racism, Acerbi said, “Why should I apologize? I have never said anything racist. I have played soccer for 20 years, so I know what I said.”

Although the facts have yet to be revealed, Acerbi has been excluded from the list of Italy’s national soccer team due to controversy over racial discrimination. If convicted, he could be suspended for at least 10 games.

Inter Milan calculated the possibility of recruiting Kim Min-jae, who has recently been struggling to compete for the main job in Bayern Munich, in preparation for the situation where Acerbi is convicted. In response, the media explained, “Acerbi’s Inter Milan career may end after the racist incident, so we need to reinforce our defense.”

“We are looking at the future of Inter Milan. If the club and Acerbi are at odds, and based on Stefan Duffrey’s performance, Inter Milan’s top priority is to find a new central defender,” he said. “We are looking for players who are truly starting members and can lead the defense, not just center backs.”

Currently, Inter Milan has a total of three defensive candidates on its recruitment list, including Kim Min-jae, Chris Smalling AS Roma, and Constantinos Mavropanos West Ham United.

Among the three, Kim Min-jae is definitely the first to be recruited. “If Inter selects a defender that Inter will bring in, it will be Kim Min-jae,” the media outlet said. “Kim Min-jae has been observed by Inter Milan coach Pierre Ausilio since Fenerbahce was a player, and I tried to recruit him as a substitute when Milan Shkriniar leaves in 2022.”

However, since Kim Min-jae moved to Munich for a transfer fee of 50 million euros about 71.2 billion won last summer, he is also the most difficult player to recruit among the three because it is expected to cost a considerable transfer fee to recruit.

Therefore, if Inter Milan seeks to recruit Kim Min-jae, it is likely to try a lease agreement that includes a permanent transfer option.

The media said, “I can’t think that Munich will sell a player less than a year ago for 50 million euros, but we can’t rule out a loan transfer. It’s like repeating Operation Lukaku two years ago,” adding, “The relationship between Inter Milan and Munich that followed last summer’s deal with Jan Zomer and Bangamain Pavar could affect it.”

Inter Milan tried to make a permanent move a year later after signing Belgian striker Romelo Lukaku, who was a former Chelsea player, on loan in the summer of 2022, but it fell through when Lukaku refused to move to Inter Milan last summer.

If Inter Milan finds it difficult to recruit Kim Min-jae due to financial problems, Inter Milan could turn to smalling and Mavropanos, which have relatively low transfer fees.

“Inter Milan does not have the budget to invest a lot of money in recruiting players during the summer transfer market,” the media said. “This could be an opportunity to recruit Chris Smalling. His contract with Roma expires in June 2025.”

“Greek defender Mavropanos, who was born in 1997, is not currently appointed for West Ham, but his performance was excellent when he played for Stuttgart,” he added.

Kim Min-jae, whose transfer fee is 50 million euros, and England defender Smalling, who hails from Manchester United, are expected to be able to recruit them for just 3.5 million euros as the contract period is nearing its end. Mavropanos, who moved to West Ham last summer, is valued at 18 million euros.

Meanwhile, one-club man Giuseppe Vergomi, who played 756 games in Inter Milan alone, drew attention as he opposed the recruitment of Kim Min-jae, while attention was focused on whether Kim Min-jae would move to Inter Milan in the summer and return to the Serie A stage.

Bergomi is a legendary defender who was born in Milan in 1963 and played in Inter Milan from 1979 to 1999. Bergomi, who was a surprise member of the Italian national team at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, was one of the pillars of Italy’s World Cup victory.

When his former team was connected to Kim, Bergomi said, “If we talk about the back three defense, I don’t think it’s Kim’s role. He doesn’t have the character or charisma to lead the defensive line. In my opinion, he will have difficulties. He has speed and defense, but he needs different characteristics. I will not choose him.”