Christian Falk: Arsenal add Kim Min-jae to January shortlist

Arsenal have added Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae to their January shortlist, according to Bild journalist Christian Falk, who reported the interest on CF Bayern Insider. The report brings Arsenal into a rumoured pursuit that has also included Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and AC Milan, but it does not indicate that a transfer is close.

Falk linked Arsenal’s interest to their defensive injuries, saying the club was considering a winter signing “partly because of the injury to Piero Hincapie”. Hincapie is out with an ankle injury, while Ben White, Jurriën Timber and William Saliba are also sidelined with knee, groin and back injuries respectively.

There is also a connection through Arsenal’s recruitment department. Falk said scouting chief Maurizio Micheli discovered Kim during his time at Napoli and now has the defender on his radar again. “They are looking for a potential defensive signing for the winter, so perhaps Kim could be sold with the right offer,” Falk said.

That possibility is set against reports that Kim is not seeking a mid-season move. Spurs Web says Kim has struggled to displace Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah in Bayern’s starting line-up, prompting speculation about a January departure. The outlet also reports that Tottenham contacted Kim’s camp during the summer and that German outlets have since linked Spurs with a move.

Tottenham’s reported interest comes amid questions about its defence. Spurs Web says the partnership between Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke has yet to click following Cristian Romero’s summer departure. Arsenal’s reported shortlist addition now gives the north London clubs a potential shared target, alongside the previously reported interest from Aston Villa and AC Milan.

The main obstacle may be Bayern’s and Kim’s willingness to part ways. TEAMtalk, as cited by Spurs Web, reports that Kim is happy in a squad role under Vincent Kompany and wants to stay at Bayern for the rest of the season. Journalist Pete O’Rourke also expects Bayern to resist a January sale, saying he does not think the club would want to weaken its squad while pursuing Bundesliga and Champions League honours.

For Arsenal, identifying Kim as a target is not the same as securing a deal. Any January move would depend on Bayern being willing to sell and Kim changing the reported preference to remain in Munich for the season.