Manchester United claimed an important victory this weekend, seeing off Wolverhampton Wanderers as Old Trafford played host to a comfortable 2-0 win.

Limiting the visitors to just five shots all game, none of which were on target, marked a near-perfect all-around display from front to back for the Red Devils.

However, it was also massively buoyed by the return of Raphael Varane, who made a surprise start after missing their last five games through injury.

In the absence of the Frenchman and Lisandro Martinez, who had already been ruled out for the rest of the season, it became clear how woefully weak the depth Erik ten Hag has at centre back.

Having swapped between Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and a makeshift Luke Shaw, it seems that this has spurred the Dutchman into the transfer market ahead of schedule.

What's the latest Man United transfer news?

According to French publication Foot Mercato, United have already held talks with the representatives of Napoli defender Kim Min-jae, and view the Napoli defender as their top defensive target.

With a €50m (£44m) release clause active for a period within this summer window, it promises to be a thrilling saga that could see the South Korean end up in Manchester.

How has Kim Min-jae played this season?

Given the struggles felt without their two starting centre-backs, winning only one of the five league matches without them, the need to slowly integrate a replacement for the 30-year-old Varane has become clear.

After all, the former Real Madrid star has only managed 22 league appearances this season, set to only narrowly surpass the 22 he mustered last year too.

Injuries have plagued the majority of the World Cup winner’s United career, and thus a young and fresh alternative is imperative.

Across all competitions this season, the alternative 26-year-old has conversely managed a mammoth 43 appearances for his title-winning outfit.

raphael-varane-maguire-manchester-united

Kim has been ever-present throughout that remarkable Serie A campaign, maintaining a 7.24 average rating that has been underpinned by a 91% pass accuracy and 1.6 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 3.6 clearances, as per Sofascore.

For comparison, Varane’s 86% pass accuracy and 3.9 clearances, one tackle and 0.5 interceptions per game (via Sofascore) do imitate the Naples stopper, arguably to a lesser extent.

Such imperious defensive showings from Kim even led his mercurial teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to brand him an “iron barrel” at the back, imperative at the heart of their defence.

Although Ten Hag will not want to envision a future without his star centre-back, Varane has proven his unreliability at times in recent years.

For just the touted £40m fee, to snatch this 6 foot 3 titan from Italy would mark a remarkable deal to ease those worries of the future.