With the imminent extension of Dayot Upamecano’s contract, FC Bayern have closed one of the biggest construction sites in their squad planning. The poker game with the French centre-back had dragged on for months before an agreement was finally reached. But there is no peace at Säbener Straße, because no sooner has one personnel matter been clarified than the next one comes into focus: Konrad Laimer
FC Bayern would ideally like to extend the contract with the Austrian international at an early stage. Under Vincent Kompany, Laimer has developed from a former squad player into an indispensable key player who not only impresses on the pitch, but is also seen as a leader internally. This is precisely why he should also play a leading role in the Munich squad in the long term
Salary issue puts the brakes on talks
However, as reported by Sport BILD, talks between the club and the player are currently making little progress. The main reason for this is the salary issue. According to the newspaper, no significant progress has been made so far because the two sides still have different ideas
There is an explosive parallel to the months-long contract poker with Dayot Upamecano. In the case of Laimer, the advisors are also said to be negotiating intensively for a significant salary increase. According to Sport BILD chief reporter Tobias Altschäffl, the 28-year-old is looking for the „last big contract“ of his career – and the player’s demands to get the maximum out of it are correspondingly high
Has Bayern learned from the Upamecano saga?
Laimer is currently set to earn between eight and nine million euros per year at FC Bayern. After his consistently strong performances in recent years, the ÖFB footballer has certainly gathered arguments to demand an improved offer. There is also a psychological factor that should not be underestimated: the Laimer side has closely observed how far Bayern have gone in the Upamecano case. The Frenchman is set to earn up to 20 million euros per year in future – a dimension that Laimer will not reach, but which will influence expectations overall
In October, Laimer was still very relaxed and stated that he felt very comfortable in Munich and was open to talks. His contract runs until the summer of 2027, which is why there is no acute time pressure for FC Bayern. However, this is precisely the lesson to be learned from the Upamecano poker: if an extension takes too long, there is a risk of unnecessary concessions in the end – for example in the form of a high transfer fee
From Bayern’s point of view, an early agreement would therefore be desirable. There is still enough time to find a solution, but the current stagnation shows that after the contract extension is before the contract poker.
