Bayern Munich nearly sent Medhi Benatia back to Roma in January

Since Medhi Benatia made the transfer to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014, his inability to stay healthy has been the number one concern among Bayern supporters. Apparently, he and the club finally figured out how to solve Benatia's injury situation in January.

Bayern were prepared to ship Benatia back to AS Roma in January, according to Gazzetta Dello Sport (Sport 1 and Calcio Mercato are both reporting from the GDS print edition). The report states that Benatia was going to join Roma on loan until the end of the season, and then Roma would purchase the Moroccan for €19 million.

The two sides had already agreed to the deal, but a wrench was thrown into the works at the last minute. That wrench was Jerome Boateng suffering an injury that ruled him out of action for three months.

Had Benatia left Bayern in January, it would have been the club officially throwing in the towel on the talented yet often injured centerback. The club signed him for €26 million (plus incentives) beating out several other big clubs in the process in one of the biggest transfer fees ever paid out by Bayern. Rumors have persisted that Benatia was failing to adjust to German culture, and this may be a sign that they were right.