'I think I'll stay put' - Minjae Kim on Bayern Munich future
Bayern Munich defender Minjae Kim says he is ready to fight for his place ahead of the new season as he bids to force his way into Vincent Kompany's starting XI.
Kim joined Bayern from Napoli in the summer of 2023 and made 37 competitive appearances last term, including 23 starts, helping the club win the Bundesliga and DFB Cup.
During Bayern's pre-season tour of his native South Korea and Hong Kong, the 29-year-old was asked about speculation surrounding his future and made it clear he intends to remain at the record champions and fight for opportunities, despite Jonathan Tah and Dayot Upamecano currently appearing to be Kompany's first-choice centre-back pairing.
"As a player, just to be with a team like Bayern Munich is a blessing," Kim said at a press conference on Monday. "Last season, I thought I played a lot of matches. I am competing as the third-choice defender, and I know I have no choice but to work hard. I think the coach will give me a lot of opportunities, and I think I will stay put."
Addressing the media alongside Kim, Kompany welcomed the competition for places and praised the South Korea international's response to the challenge.
"The main thing is to have the quality and then afterwards for them to compete to prove on the pitch," the Bayern head coach said.
"What I will give a compliment to Minjae [about] is that no matter what, he keeps the focus, and he does the talking on the pitch. In every situation, he has had the right response. His performances were really good last season for us. Because he performs how he does, everybody else in the position has to be good as well."
Bayern kick off the new season against Borussia Dortmund in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup on 22 August, before hosting VfB Stuttgart in their Bundesliga opener a week later.
