Report: Bayern Munich interested in Barcelona right back Nelson Semedo

According to a report by Mundo Deportivo (via Forbes), Bayern Munich are looking into the potential acquisition of Nelson Semdo from Barcelona. The Portuguese right back, once highly rated at Benfica, has struggled to nail down a starting position since moving to Spain. He is reportedly available for the price of 50m euros, which is much steeper than alternatives such as RB Leipzig’s Lukas Klostermann.

According to MD, Semedo has many suitors in the form of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, who may be driving up the price. Unlike the two aforementioned teams, Bayern have no urgent need of a new right back, but it appears that the club are committed to the idea of playing Joshua Kimmich in midfield. Semedo is the fourth right back linked with the Bavarians in the space of a couple of months, following names such as Lukas Klostermann, Joao Cancelo, and Achraf Hakimi.

One potential worry for Bayern fans would be Semedo’s lackluster attacking capabilities, already a topic of contention among Barcelona fans. The Portuguese has only managed 1 goal and 8 assists in 102 appearances for the Catalan giants, which is poor even compared to a defensively minded player like Klostermann. Plus, there is the fact that Klostermann is younger, likely to be cheaper, German, and knows the league.

This all probably means that this rumor has no real substance, and there’s no concrete interest from Bayern for Semedo. The report even mentions that Barcelona will target Klostermann as the replacement for the Portuguese, which makes little sense — if Klostermann is available, and Bayern are shopping for a right back, then he would be on his way to Munich. This is probably an attempt by the Catalans to drive the price up for Semedo in preparation for his eventual sale to an EPL club — name dropping Bayern in a transfer rumor is an easy way to do it.