Kim Min-jae signs with Serie A club Napoli

A tweet on the official Napoli Twitter account welcomes Kim Min-jae to the club. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Italian club Napoli announced the signing of Korean center back Kim Min-jae in a brief post on the club’s official website on Wednesday.

”SSC Napoli announces that it has acquired Kim Min-jae from Fenerbahce SK,” the club said in a brief statement in Italian, before going on to list Kim’s career experience.

The announcement came one day after Kim arrived in Rome to undergo a medical exam for the Serie A club.

Kim's arrival in Napoli ends a long transfer saga that has seen the formidable defender linked with Napoli, French club Rennes and at least one Premier League club during this summer transfer window.

Kim has been a trade rumor favorite for years and this summer is no exception, but there had been concerns that a recent ankle injury might take him off the market. He has returned to form, however, and has been active in Fenerbahce friendlies over the last few weeks.

Kim, nicknamed "The Monster" for his unflappable defense, joined Fenerbahce in August last year from Beijing Guoan, where he had played for two years. At the time, he had been linked to a number of top European clubs including FC Porto, Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur.

Kim is a highly rated defender who offers a formidable presence in the backline that could see him hold his own against more physical players anywhere in the world. Kim's international performance has gained him a lot of attention, especially during the 2017 Asian qualifier for the 2018 Russia World Cup.

Kim is likely to step straight into the starting lineup at Napoli, where he is expected to fill the gap created by the departure of Kalidou Koulibaly, who left the Italian club to move to Chelsea.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]