Report: Bayern Munich are interested in Benjamin Henrichs

A new report out of France states that Bayern Munich are interested in bringing Benjamin Henrichs back to the Bundesliga. If the reporting from L’Equipe is correct, Bayern are considering making an offer for the AS Monaco fullback.

Henrichs joined AS Monaco last summer from Bayer Leverkusen for around €20 million, signing a five-year contract. The new report states that Bayern would be willing to offer €25 million for his services, but Monaco are holding out for €35 million.

Last season at Monaco, Henrichs was a regular starter in the first half of the season and then fell out of favor in the second half. However, the 22-year-old still featured in 22 Ligue 1 matches (21 starts), 3 domestic cup matches (3 starts), and 4 Champions League appearances (3 starts).

At the U-21 European Championships, Henrichs was deployed exclusively as a left-back in his four starts in five games — he was suspended in the semifinals against Romania for receiving two yellow cards in the group stage.

BFW Analysis

We’ve seen reports over the last month linking Bayern with players at various positions; however, very few have been at fullback, the most recent being Juventus’s João Cancelo for over € 50 million, which — let’s be honest — seems absurd. However, could signing Henrichs bring some tactical and personnel flexibility to Niko Kovac’s side?

With his ability to play right and left fullback, Henrichs offers Bayern direct backups for both Joshua Kimmich and David Alaba, which the team does not have right now. When this issue has been discussed, the answer up to this point has been, “Benjamin Pavard can play right-back, and Lucas Hernandez can play left-back.”

Henrichs would not only give Bayern the ability to rest Kimmich and Alaba during the season, but also his presence on the team would allow both players to slide into a central midfield role at times.

Again, flexibility.

With that said, Henrichs wouldn’t come necessarily cheap. If Monaco are holding out for €35 million, then Bayern must make the decision as to whether a player who can play both fullback positions (and play midfield in a pinch) and is a proven starter at the Bundesliga level is worth that kind of money.