---
title: "Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs enter talks to sign Kim Min-jae amid competition from Lazio"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/spurs-enter-talks-kim-min-jae-transfer-latest/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Liam Togher"
section: "Premier League"
published: "2020-08-31T16:10:05Z"
modified: "2020-08-31T16:10:05Z"
---

# Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs enter talks to sign Kim Min-jae amid competition from Lazio

**Tottenham are in talks with Beijing Guoan to sign defender [Kim Min-jae](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/tottenham-transfer-rumours/tottenham-transfer-enquiry-kim-min-jae/), according to journalist Nicolo Schira on Twitter ([@NicoSchira](https://twitter.com/NicoSchira/status/1299990758313922560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1299990758313922560%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.footballfancast.com%2Ftottenham-hotspur-transfer-rumours%2Fspurs-transfer-latest-kim-min-jae-update-jose-mourinho-defence-target-premier-league-news-gossip)).**

> [#Lazio](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Lazio?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) and [#Tottenham](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tottenham?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) are in negotiations to sign [#BeijingGuoan](https://twitter.com/hashtag/BeijingGuoan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) centre-back Kim [#MinJae](https://twitter.com/hashtag/MinJae?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw). Chinase club want €15M to sell him. [#transfers](https://twitter.com/hashtag/transfers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [#THFC](https://twitter.com/hashtag/THFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
>
> — Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) [August 30, 2020](https://twitter.com/NicoSchira/status/1299990758313922560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

He claimed that Lazio are also in negotiations with the Chinese Super League club over a potential deal for the centre-back, who is valued at €15m (£13.5m) by his current employers.

Last month, [90min.com](https://www.90min.com/posts/tottenham-confident-of-striking-deal-to-sign-beijing-guoan-kim-min-jae-transfer-rumour?view_source=categories_page&view_medium=%5Btransfer%5D) reported of Spurs’ interest in the South Korea international, who has been given the nickname of [‘Monster’](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/tottenham-transfer-rumours/tottenham-hotspur-spurs-set-to-sign-kim-min-jae-as-he-heads-to-north-london/).

![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/THE-BREAKDOWN.png)

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho could be looking to bolster his central defensive options in this transfer window after the summer exit of Jan Vertonghen, who has [joined Benfica](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53762916), while there have been [reports casting doubt](https://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/calcio-estero/tmw-leeds-foyth-sempre-piu-vicino-grande-ottimismo-per-la-chiusura-1416570) over Juan Foyth’s future at the club.

Kim played [26 times](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/min-jae-kim/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/503482) for Beijing Guoan in last year’s Chinese Super League as they [just missed out on the title](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/chinese-super-league/tabelle/wettbewerb/CSL/saison_id/2018), while he already has [30 caps](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/min-jae-kim/nationalmannschaft/spieler/503482/verein_id/3589) for his country despite being only 23. Along with Spurs forward Son Heung-min, he won a gold medal with South Korea at the 2018 Asian Games and subsequently was given an exemption from certain military duties (via [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/sep/01/son-heung-min-spared-military-service-south-korea-asian-games-gold)).

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An indication of the defender’s talents is his christening in some quarters as ‘the South Korean Virgil van Dijk’, while both Liverpool and Manchester City had been monitoring the centre-back, with Champions League semi-finalists RB Leipzig also keeping tabs on him. \[via [90min.com](https://www.90min.com/posts/tottenham-confident-of-striking-deal-to-sign-beijing-guoan-kim-min-jae-transfer-rumour?view_source=categories_page&view_medium=%5Btransfer%5D)\]

Mourinho currently has [five centre-backs](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/tottenham-hotspur/kadernachposition/verein/148) in his squad at Tottenham, so depth doesn’t seem a problem in that part of the pitch. However, Foyth’s future seems uncertain, Davinson Sanchez has [copped some criticism](https://www.footballfancast.com/premier-league/tottenham/spurs-fans-react-davinson-sanchez-fa-cup) over various performances in recent months, Toby Alderweireld is 31, Japhet Tanganga is [still quite raw](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/japhet-tanganga/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/346478/verein/148) and Cameron Carter-Vickers has been [loaned out five times since 2017](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/cameron-carter-vickers/transfers/spieler/341049) as he continues to struggle for chances at Spurs.

![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Verdict.png)

Lazio’s commencement of talks over Kim could be a worry for Tottenham, as the Serie A club have the advantage of being able to offer him [Champions League football](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/serie-a/tabelle/wettbewerb/IT1/saison_id/2019), whereas Spurs are absent from that competition for the [first time in five years](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/tottenham-hotspur/pokalhistorie/verein/148).

\[freshpress-poll id=”316317″\]

The level of centre-back depth should mean that missing out on the Korean wouldn’t be disastrous, although his burgeoning reputation suggests that he would be a tremendous asset to any team he represents. Also, with Spurs’ concession of 47 league goals last season their [worst figure since 2014/15](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/tottenham-hotspur/platzierungen/verein/148), there certainly seems room for improvement defensively, so Mourinho may well be desperate to get Kim into the club.

***Tottenham fans, would Kim be an ideal successor to Vertonghen at the club? Share your views in the comments section below!***