Romano: Newcastle are now going to miss out on 26-year-old to Bayern

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Newcastle United are looking to sign a centre-back this summer, but it appears that it will not be Kim Min-Jae.

The South Korean defender played a pivotal role in Napoli winning Serie A last season, but a release clause in his contract has led to intense speculation over a move away – with Newcastle linked.

The Magpies have been challenging Manchester United for his signature, with Eddie Howe’s side holding talks with Kim’s representatives.

His release clause of £43million makes him an appealing option for clubs across Europe, which is why both Newcastle and Man United have been showing an interest.

However, it now appears that neither side is going to sign him from Napoli this summer. Instead, it looks like he is off to Germany.

Kim Min-Jae now set to sign for Bayern Munich

It was reported earlier in June that Bayern Munich were looking to agree a deal with Kim, and a new claim from Fabrizio Romano states that terms have now been finalised.

According to Romano, Kim has agreed a five-year deal to sign for Bayern. Personal terms are finalised – all that is left for the Bundesliga champions to do is activate his release clause.

That should not be a problem, as the main reason clubs are pursuing Kim is because of his relatively reasonable release clause. Obviously £43million is a huge amount of money, but it is a decent fee for a player of his quality.

Napoli have been desperate to keep him and hand him a new deal, but it looks like that will not be happening. The South Korea international has always been one to hop clubs, never spending more than two seasons with a team.

After just one year in Italy, Kim looks to be on his way to Germany. After winning Serie A, next on his agenda will be the Bundesliga.

Perhaps after that he will consider a move to the Premier League, and the chance to join Newcastle might resurface. But for now, the Magpies must continue looking for a new centre-back.