The name Nico Schlotterbeck has been bandied about at FC Bayern for months, but now sporting director Max Eberl himself has spoken out – and made it clear where Munich’s priorities currently lie
When asked by BILD-TV whether the Borussia Dortmund centre-back could be a possible replacement for Dayot Upamecano, Eberl responded cautiously: „I don’t have much to say about that. I have always said that the ‚internal extension‘ of Dayot is our absolute priority, alongside Serge, with whom we would also like to extend. Those are our priorities at the moment. Anything else would be the second step – we are not thinking about that at the moment,“ the 52-year-old made unmistakably clear
In doing so, Eberl is clearly dampening the recent speculation surrounding a possible Bayern move for Schlotterbeck. Munich’s full focus is currently on extending the contracts of their own key players. In addition to Upamecano, Serge Gnabry is also one of the personnel matters that the record champions would like to clarify in the near future
Upamecano extension has priority at FC Bayern
The current squad structure also speaks against a short-term Schlotterbeck transfer. Behind Upamecano and defender Jonathan Tah, Bayern see their central defence as well-positioned in terms of personnel. With Josip Stanisic, Minjae Kim and Hiroki Ito, there are several options available that are planned for both the short term and the long term. Against this background, a possible deal with the BVB defender was recently put on ice internally, as reported by Sport BILD
However, the topic of Schlotterbeck is not completely off the table. According to Sport BILD, the situation could change if Minjae Kim were to question his role permanently. The South Korean is currently mostly only used as a reserve, but is not considered dissatisfied internally
What’s next for Minjae Kim?
Rather, he is using this phase to fully heal the after-effects of his physical problems from last season. His aim is to be back at one hundred per cent and then assert himself in the competition. Only if this patience does not pay off in sporting terms will Kim reassess his future
For Schlotterbeck, this means all the more after Eberl’s statements: A move to FC Bayern is currently not an issue. As long as Upamecano’s extension is a priority and Minjae Kim does not force a departure, the Dortmund defender will remain just a name for a possible second step for Munich for the time being – nothing more.