The bosses of FC Bayern make a decision on transfer policy, but this could also be a risk.
According to Sport BILD, FC Bayern have made an internal decision that could be tricky from both a sporting and strategic point of view. Despite unresolved personnel issues in defence, the Munich club do not want to sign any new players in the coming winter transfer window – even if Sacha Boey’s departure becomes a reality.
According to the report, however, this could also pose a risk. Max Eberl and sporting director Christoph Freund are banking on a successful contract extension with Dayot Upamecano. The defender’s contract expires in the summer and it is clear internally that a quick agreement would be extremely important in order to ensure planning security.
However, this is precisely where the danger lies: if the extension fails, the two most important alternatives could already have disappeared from the market by then.
Konaté and Guehi: market moves in winter
Ibrahima Konaté also only has a contract at Liverpool FC until the summer. If he refuses to extend his contract in the winter, Liverpool will sell the 26-year-old in order to use the money raised to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace.
Both players are also on Bayern’s radar, and the Munich club have been monitoring their situation for weeks. Konaté would be an obvious candidate if Upamecano were to leave – and Guehi’s profile also fits Munich’s requirements perfectly.
The problem is that if Bayern don’t react until the summer, both Konaté and Guehi could already be under contract elsewhere.
The uncertainty does not only concern Upamecano. Internally, Bayern are not ruling out the possibility of offloading Minjae Kim in the summer if an attractive offer is received. In precisely this scenario, Konaté and Guehi would also be highly relevant candidates – but the winter could be crucial in order to act in time.
This is precisely why the internal decision not to make any transfers in January is considered risky. Bayern are deliberately foregoing opportunities to react, although the market for top central defenders could move strongly, especially in the winter months.
The Bayern bosses are therefore betting everything on Upamecano extending his contract – and that their own preferred options will still be available next summer.