Spurs admit they should have pushed harder for Kim Min-jae: Reports

Napoli's Kim Min-Jae warms up ahead of a match against Ajax at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples, Italy on Oct. 12. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Tottenham Hotspur reportedly admitted that they regret not having pushed harder for Korean center-back Kim Min-jae.

According to football pundit website 90min.com, club officials admitted to Korean forward Son Heung-min that they are impressed by Kim's strong start with Napoli and had been wrong not to have tried harder to sign him when they had the chance.

Kim is in the middle of the excellent season with Napoli in the Serie A. Kim joined Napoli in July from Turkish club Fenerbahce after one year playing in the Super Lig.

Before that, Kim played in the Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan, when he had been linked to a number of top European clubs including FC Porto, Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs had shown an interest in Kim in September of 2020 but refused to spend more than 10 million euros on the deal despite Son's endorsement. Kim was picked up by Fenerbahce the following summer instead.

According to reports, Kim is under contract with Napoli until 2025, with the club retaining the option to extend the deal for two more years. Napoli paid 19.5 million euros ($20 million) to Fenerbahce to trigger Kim's release clause, and have included a 45-million-euro release clause in his new contract.

Since arriving in Naples, Kim has played the full 90 minutes in 12 of Napoli's 13 games so far this season across all competitions.

Across all those games, Kim and the Napoli defensive line have only conceded 13 goals, nine in league games and four in the Champions League. Not only has Kim pulled his weight in defense, he has also scored two Serie A goals so far this season, against Monza on Aug. 21 and Lazio on Sept. 3.

BY YUN SO-HYANG AND JIM BULLEY [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]