FC Bayern is preparing for the possibility that Neuer will leave. The club is looking for an experienced goalkeeper who will clearly serve as the backup to Jonas Urbig.
FC Bayern is already making plans for the goalkeeper position for the upcoming season. This comes as Manuel Neuer’s future remains uncertain. According to information from Sky, there are currently many indications that the 40-year-old could end his career this summer. However, a final decision has not yet been made.
At the same time, the Munich club is already exploring potential successors within the squad. It is explicitly not a matter of pitting a new, young competitor against Jonas Urbig.
Rather, FC Bayern is looking for an experienced and loyal backup goalkeeper for the upcoming season—one who will accept his role behind Urbig and support the 23-year-old.
Bayern is evaluating several experienced candidates
According to Sky, there are currently seven to eight goalkeepers on the internal list of candidates. However, no concrete talks with individual players have taken place yet.
First, club officials want to clarify the situation with Neuer and Sven Ulreich. Only then will the search for a new goalkeeper move forward in earnest.
Oliver Baumann is apparently among the names of interest. Sky reporter Florian Plettenberg explained: “Oliver Baumann is a very intriguing prospect. People think very highly of him. Baumann is 36 now. I don’t think Hoffenheim would stand in his way. I believe he’d be ready for this move to Bayern, if it were possible.”
Bernd Leno is also apparently being considered in Munich. Plettenberg said: “Bernd Leno is also an intriguing prospect—34 years old, great character, and his contract is expiring. So, we’ll have to wait and see.”
The profile is thus clearly defined: Bayern isn’t looking for a challenger to Urbig, but rather an experienced goalkeeper of high quality who is clearly willing to take on the No. 2 role.
Should Neuer actually retire this summer, Urbig would then be firmly established as the new number one. The new backup is expected to ensure a smooth transition—while also accepting that the future in Bayern’s goal belongs to the young goalkeeper.