For a long time, Virgilio Olaya’s move to FC Bayern seemed like a mere formality. But now, the record champions face serious competition from Europe in their pursuit of the talented Ecuadorian defender.
Signing top young talent has been part of FC Bayern’s transfer strategy for years. This summer, too, the Munich club is on the lookout for promising young players with long-term development potential. One of the candidates is center back Virgilio Olaya from Ecuadorian first-division club SD Aucas.
As early as last December, it was reported that the 18-year-old was on the verge of a move to Säbener Straße. Since then, however, things have gone conspicuously quiet regarding the transfer.
The race for Olaya is wide open again
Now, transfer insider Rudy Galetti is stirring things up again in the race for the defender. According to his information, Olympique Lyon and AC Milan have also shown concrete interest in Olaya and have gathered relevant information about the player.
Galetti also reports that FC Bayern and SD Aucas have so far been unable to reach an agreement on a transfer. According to him, a final deal was never actually reached.
In light of this, the race for the talented center back is currently “completely wide open.” While Munich’s interest is said to remain, the competition is increasing the pressure on the decision-makers led by sporting director Max Eberl and sporting director Christoph Freund.
Bayern must finalize its plans
If FC Bayern still wants to sign Olaya, concrete steps will likely be necessary in the coming weeks. With AC Milan and Olympique Lyon, two other renowned European clubs are vying for the services of the Ecuadorian U-20 national team player.
At the same time, the question arises for the Munich club as to how Olaya would fit into their long-term roster planning. With Cassiano Kiala and Filip Pavic, the record champions already have two highly promising center backs who are widely regarded within the club as having great potential.
Whether Bayern ultimately wins the race for Olaya will therefore likely depend on more than just the transfer fee or contract terms. Equally decisive will be the athletic development plan that the interested clubs can present to the 18-year-old. For now, at any rate, the outcome of this transfer saga seems more uncertain than ever.