What does the FC Bayern squad look like next season? Completely unclear. Club boss Oliver Kahn and sports director Hasan Salihamidzic have had as much work to do in years, perhaps not in decades. And almost everything depends on Robert Lewandowski.
For the stars around Captain Manuel Neuer, vacation is finally announced. Bayern Munich’s coach Julian Nagelsmann has released his national players until July 8th after a strenuous season. But how the squad will look like at the record champions is more open than ever. Club boss Oliver Kahn and sports director Hasan Salihamidzic are in transfer stress. There are enough construction sites. The plans are superimposed by the personnel Robert Lewandowski, who continues to push his departure to FC Barcelona. But otherwise the bosses have enough to do to live up to their claim to be among the top four in Europe.
That is why the busy Bayern bosses are working intensively on their king transfer after the commitments of right-back Noussair Mazraoui (free transfer) and midfielder Ryan Gravenberch (18.5 plus 5.5 million bonus), both from Ajax Amsterdam: For superstar Sadio Mané from FC Liverpool should now be ready to spend up to 40 million euros. Mane should sign a three-year contract with the record champions, it looks like a speedy agreement, it said in various media.
On the other hand, it is still questionable how the goal scorer Lewandowski will continue. The fronts seem hardened. In the meantime, the Bavarians, who have so far strictly refused to change their life insurance (“Basta”), are said to be willing to negotiate with a transfer fee of between 40 and 50 million euros. And the Catalans may soon be able to pay such a sum. Barca members agreed to a partial sale of the club on Thursday, bringing new millions into the tight coffers.
A lot depends on Lewandowski poker. Talks with Stuttgart’s attacker Sasa Kalajdzic are stalling. Joshua Zirkzee, most recently on loan at RSC Anderlecht, is also up in the air. VfB is said to be interested in the striker – as a replacement for Kalajdzic. On the Munich wish list is Konrad Laimer from RB Leipzig. Here, too, the clubs play poker for the fee. The future of Serge Gnabry, who has not yet extended his contract, which expires in 2023, is also unclear. Farewell not excluded.
For FC Bayern, however, the next few weeks will also be about finding buyers for substitute players. According to the “Bild” newspaper, record champion Marcel Sabitzer wants to sell in order to save around ten million in salary. The Austrian is said to cost around 15 million, and star coach Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma are interested. Marc Roca is on the verge of a move to Leeds United. According to Sky, Bayern should get twelve million plus five million euros in bonuses for the Spaniard. According to the “Bild” newspaper, an agreement has been reached with Fiete Arp, who was last loaned to Holstein Kiel, including severance pay – the way back to Kiel is clear. Also on the FCB sales list: Bouna Sarr and Omar Richards. Niklas Süle to Borussia Dortmund and Corentin Tolisso (destination unknown) have already left.
The transfer window is still open until September 1st. He believes, said Honorary President Uli Hoeneß at Sport1 last week, “the new team is being worked on very intensively, and if everything comes up that you presented to me this week, then I see a good chance that we will have an attractive one next year team – with Robert Lewandowski”. Wait.
