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It’s no secret that Bayern Munich is reluctant to spend ludicrous amounts of money to bring in marquee signings, and for good reason. Hyperinflation in today’s transfer market has seen players brought into top European clubs for upwards of €100m without batting an eye.
*cough* Neymar *cough*
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Bayern’s CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge revealed in an interview with BayernTV (via ESPN), that the club would spend a large amount of money on one player if the right opportunity came across the table, but that they simply have a different philosophy on transfers from most other top European clubs:
Buying just to please the audience does not work. It costs horrendous money in terms of transfer fees and salaries.
But the sale of Arturo Vidal, Sebastian Rudy, and Juan Bernat this summer leaves Bayern with a sizable amount of cash, especially considering the fact that they acquired Leon Goretzka from Schalke on a free transfer and had Serge Gnabry return from his loan spell with Hoffenheim, not to mention the €40 million paid by Juventus to make Douglas Costa’s transfer permanent.
The money brought in during the summer transfer window, Rummenigge said, allows Bayern to take a more flexible approach to a potential big-money transfer in the future, should the right opportunity present itself:
We’ve earned good money [this summer] and also have the financial means if we see the necessity for such a transfer. That’s why we are relaxed when looking to the future.
Additionally, Rummenigge also gave some comments regarding the rest of the Bundesliga and the DFL, saying that he wants to see the league become far more competitive overall. Bayern have dominated the league in recent years, winning six straight Bundesliga titles, and Rummenigge feels like they’re poised for another title under new manager Niko Kovac:
It’s not going to be a walk in the park, but I think the conditions are good. We have a good team, and the cooperation with the coach works well. We are very interested in competition. It’s no question we have a small competitive advantage because of our sporting success and the income from it over the past 10 years. But you must use your money wisely.
Earlier this week, DFL President Reinhard Rauball announced that he would step down from the position at the end of this season. Rummenigge sees the moment as an opportunity to implement change. A clearer sense of vision for the league overall needs to be established, in his view:
We are in good in many fields. But I miss a vision. Where does the league want to go? And how will it get there? We are trying to create an own culture, but it won’t be that easy.