Journalist claims West Ham United turned down £15m-rated Napoli ace Kim Min-jae, now wanted by Man Utd and Real Madrid
West Ham turned down the chance to sign Kim Min-jae for £15million, with David Moyes refusing to gamble on a Chinese Super League player, according to journalist Jacque Talbot.
The centre-back is currently starring for Serie A leaders Napoli and for his country South Korea, having replaced Kalidou Koulibaly for the Italian outfit upon his move to Chelsea.
Previously, Min-jae moved from Beijing Guoan to Fenerbahce in 2021, after Hammers boss Moyes decided against bringing him to East London.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Talbot said: “They signed him from Fenerbahce for £15m, and do you know what actually, I got a message from an agent, should I say this?
“Anyway, David Moyes had an interest in him back when he was in the Chinese Super League but they thought it was too big of a gamble coming from a market they had no knowledge of, maybe I shouldn’t say that.”
Missed opportunity
It happens all the time in world football, with clubs turning down players for various reasons, before the player then proves the manager wrong and goes on to star for another club.
This is reportedly the case for West Ham boss Moyes and Min-jae, who is coming very close to lifting a Serie A title with Napoli.
The Italian club are also into the last eight of the Champions League, with their star centre-back key to their phenomenal campaign so far.
The 26-year-old has made 35 appearances in all competitions this season, with his displays reportedly catching the eye of many top clubs.
Premier League giants Manchester United and Tottenham, and European heavyweights Real Madrid are all keeping tabs on the centre-back, according to 90min.
But with his price rising, it looks set to be a case of what could have been for the Hammers, who could definitely have done with the South Korean international at the back in recent times.