Bayern Munich have officially purchased South Korea international Kim Min-jae from Napoli, activating the release clause at circa €50m.
The South Korea international has signed a five-year contract, which will tie him to the Allianz Arena until the summer of 2028.
The formal announcement came from both clubs on Tuesday afternoon, though it had been all but certain for several weeks.
Sky Sport Italia and Germany both report the clause was activated last Friday and the centre-back underwent his medical tests in South Korea. They had to be held there, as he was going through mandatory military service.
Napoli purchased Kim Min-jae from Fenerbahce only last summer for €17.5m, but knew there was a release clause in his contract tied to the revenue of the club doing the buying, reaching a maximum of €50m.
Manchester United had been the favourites at first, but Bayern Munich quickly convinced him and he was handed a salary worth a reported €10m per season net.
In his debut campaign, Kim Min-jae helped Napoli win the Scudetto for the first time in 33 years and was also voted Serie A Defender of the Season.
In a statement release by Bayern on Tuesday, Kim said: “FC Bayern is every footballer’s dream. I’m really looking forward to everything that awaits me in Munich.
“For me it means a new beginning, I will continue to develop here. In the talks with the club, it was made clear to me right from the start how great the interest was. My first goal is to play a lot of games. In addition, I want to win as many titles as possible.”
A statement from Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen read: “Kim has developed excellently, most recently winning the Italian championship with SSC Napoli and being voted the best defender in Serie A.
“He impresses with his physical presence as well as with his mentality and speed. We are happy that he can start preparing immediately and we are convinced that he will inspire our fans with his style of play.”
Kim has already joined the Bayern camp at their training base in Tegernsee, where Thomas Tuchel and his players are preparing for the beginning of the 2022-23 season.