Bayern Munich centre-back responds to Chelsea & Newcastle transfer interest

Bayern Munich's under-fire centre-back Kim Min-jae has revealed his desire to stay in Bavaria despite mounting transfer interest from various clubs across the continent.

The South Korea international has endured a shaky second campaign in Munich. Kim has committed more errors which directly lead to a shot than any other Bayern player this season and came under particular scrutiny for his role in the club's Champions League quarter-final exit against Inter.

Two weeks after that European elimination, Kim was forced off at half-time of Bayern's 3-0 victory over Mainz after giving in to the pain of a persistent Achilles injury.

Yet, Kim has no intention of moving on. "For me, there's no reason to leave," he told SPORT BILD. "I hope I can stay. But we'll see."

The fleet-footed centre-back embraced his nickname 'the Monster' while helping Napoli lift a long-awaited league title in 2023, yet has been subjected to rather less flattering monikers in recent months. A nagging Achilles problem has not helped Kim. "I've been in a lot of pain for seven months," he revealed at the weekend. "I just want to be fit next season."

"The Achilles tendon problem is still there," Kim explained in an interview on Korean outlet Leestar. "But I'm gritting my teeth, closing my eyes and getting through it.

"Mistakes, injuries, or too many games, those are perhaps just excuses. I still have to stay focused. That's my job. I have to be able to deal with that. Mistakes were also caused by pain, of course. But ultimately, I should have played better."

Whether Kim will get the chance to play better with Bayern Munich next season is very much up in the air.

READ THE LATEST TRANSFER NEWS & GOSSIP FROM AROUND THE WORLD