Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué are among Paris Saint-Germain’s most influential attacking players today – and both were on FC Bayern’s wish list in the past. Now Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has openly explained why the Munich club missed out on both transfers
This personnel matter has added to the tension ahead of the Champions League clash between PSG and FCB, as the very players who were once on Munich’s wish list could now become the deciding factor in the semi-finals
Rummenigge confirmed in an interview with t-online that Bayern were very specifically interested in Ousmane Dembélé in particular. „I was still involved with Dembélé myself. We and, above all, our then sporting director Michael Reschke really wanted to sign him, but unfortunately Dortmund beat us to it at the time,“ explained the former CEO
Puma connection a decisive factor for Dembélé
According to Rummenigge, the main reason for the transfer falling through was the circumstances at the time. At the time, Dembélé was playing for Stade Rennes – a club whose owners were also closely linked to equipment supplier Puma. „Dortmund had an equipment contract with Puma at the time, so it was clear that we as an Adidas club were not necessarily the preferred choice,“ said Rummenigge. The move to BVB was therefore also economically and structurally advantageous
Nevertheless, the 70-year-old still raves about the Frenchman’s qualities today: „He was a wonderful player.“ At the same time, he hinted that Dembélé needs a certain amount of guidance in order to reach his full potential. „He is undoubtedly a very good player, but he also needs to be managed well.“
Rummenigge clearly contradicts rumors about Doué
According to Rummenigge, Bayern were also seriously interested in Désiré Doué, but the young Frenchman ultimately made a conscious decision not to move to Munich and stay in his home country
„We would have liked to sign him, he would have suited us very well, but he opted for Paris because he wanted to stay in his native France,“ explained Rummenigge
At the same time, the Bayern patron took the opportunity to dispel a persistent rumour. There had been repeated speculation that the supervisory board had prevented the transfer for financial reasons. Rummenigge firmly refuted this: „No, anyone who says that is telling fairy tales.“
According to him, the transfer would have been financially feasible: „The player would have been a good fit for us in terms of price-performance ratio with transfer fee and salary,“ Rummenigge clarified
For FC Bayern, such missed transfers are part of the business, according to the 70-year-old. „We will also miss out on one or two players in the future because more money might be paid elsewhere. You have to accept that,“ said Rummenigge
Munich seem to have made their peace with this – even if Dembélé and Doué could now become a challenge in a direct duel with PSG of all clubs.