Jose Mourinho has revealed an attempt to sign Napoli star Kim Min-jae while manager of Tottenham.
The South Korean international has proven a revelation with the Neapolitans, quickly replacing Kalidou Koulibaly and helping lead their push for a first Serie A title since 1990.
Min-jae has played in almost every minute of their League campaign thus far, with Luciano Spalletti’s side boasting a 12-point lead of current champions Milan.
Emerging as one of the leading central defenders playing in Europe this season, Mourinho has claimed he wanted to sign the 26-year-old during his time in charge of Spurs.
The Roma boss, however, was eager to point out that decision-makers in north London did not “help” by refusing to meet Fenerbahce’s valuation.
Much has been about Spurs’ defensive record this season, with only five Premier League teams conceding more than Antonio Conte’s side so far.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Mourinho said: “I wanted to sign Kim at Tottenham, but the club did not help me out on that.
“I had some FaceTime calls with him — our bid was €5m, Fenerbahçe wanted €10m for Kim and for Tottenham that wasn’t possible at that point.
“Now look at Kim and his level, he’s a top player”.
