Bayern Munich considering loan move for Renato Sanches

Despite Niko Kovac’s intention to involve Renato Sanches as much as he can for Bayern Munich, the Portuguese midfielder has struggled to gain a foothold in the squad and hasn’t received the amount of minutes he would’ve liked. This season, the 21-year-old has featured in just 22 games across competitions, primarily as a substitute. He hasn’t started a Bundesliga match since Bayern’s shocking 3-3 draw against Fortuna Düsseldorf in November and has logged just 47 minutes in the Rückrunde.

Per a report by Christian Falk (via Sport.de), the club is weighing the option of sending Sanches out on loan this summer. They want to see what clubs might be interested in completing a loan deal, since Sanches’ current contract with Bayern runs through 2021. It’s vital that Bayern takes its time to find the right fit for Sanches to ensure he receives solid playing time and gains experience. Bayern wants to avoid another disaster like Sanches’ loan to Swansea City in the Premier League last season, from which neither party benefited.

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Sanches admitted in March that he wasn’t happy in Munich, although Kovac has said he is happy with the way the midfielder is training and performing when called upon. Despite Kovac’s satisfaction with Sanches’s work rate, the feeling between the two was far from mutual. Sanches feels that Kovac isn’t communicating to him why he wasn’t receiving more minutes.

As BFW’s own Chuck Smith put it in his piece from earlier this month:

At some point soon, Bayern will have to address how it can justify keeping a 21-year-old with potential on the bench for yet another season. Despite his ability, Sanches is simply a victim of the circumstance that he is surrounded by better teammates. He is at a point where he needs to play regularly for the sake of his own development.

I’m not saying Chuck can see the future, but this is a decent bit of foreshadowing here.

With so much talent in midfield and the stakes so high for Bayern in their push for the domestic double, it’s difficult to see Sanches getting any time. Since Sanches is still a young player with so much potential, it makes it all the more vital that Bayern find the right club for a potential loan spell.

Keeping our fingers crossed.