Report: Bayern Munich in danger of missing out on RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano

Per a new report from Sport Bild, it looks increasingly likely that Bayern Munich will miss out on the opportunity to sign in-demand center back Dayot Upamecano from Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig. The French defender has drawn interest from a handful of clubs across Europe’s top five leagues that are ready and willing to spend around €45 million to acquire his services.

Sport Bild recalls the fact that Upamecano was previously on Bayern’s radar back in 2015 when he was playing for French club Valenciennes’ U-19 team. There was concrete interest in signing him, but it was ultimately decided by Bayern’s front office that they did not want to follow through with getting his signature. It was shortly thereafter when he wound up joining RB Salzburg, but Bayern even tried to make a last stitch effort when he was on his way to sign for Salzburg because he had to travel from Paris to Munich to get to Salzburg. Bayern’s front office tried to convince him to come to Sabener Strasse, but those attempts failed and he signed for RB Salzburg.

Bayern’s interest in Upamecano has reignited ever since it’s become all but certain that David Alaba will be leaving the club by the end of this season. There is still, of course, a chance that Alaba stays, which both Hansi Flick and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge have said is a possibility they’re still hanging on to, but the writing on the wall seems to suggest he’ll be leaving.

The Alaba uncertainty makes it all the more difficult for Bayern to try to package a potential offer for Upamecano, especially during a pandemic that’s created additional financial difficulties.

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What’s also working against Bayern is the concrete interest in Upamecano from Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United in the Premier League. In particular, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool is really in the market for a center-back as early as this winter’s transfer window. They’ve already lost both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez to long-term knee injuries and they’ve been without Fabinho for the past couple of weeks due to a hamstring issue. normally, Fabinho is one of Klopp’s options at center-back even though he’s a midfielder, partially due to Joel Matip’s injury history. The Cameroon international is rarely ever to go a string of matches without picking up an injury. For Liverpool, Upamecano could be a viable solution to their new lack of depth at center-back.

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