The next transfer window, whenever it eventually comes, will be historic with how much the market is going to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Observers have theorized that fees for players won’t be as high and that we’ll likely see an increase in loan deals because they’ll be more financially feasible for clubs that have been hit really hard by a lack of television money and gate receipts.
Despite the increasingly questionable landscape of the next transfer window, Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said that Bayern still plans on making big signings. Speaking on Welt am Sonntag (via Bild), Salihamidzic said Bayern intends to bring in a top European talent and and an international superstar to Munich:
We want to strengthen ourselves with a top talent from Europe and also bring an international star to Munich who raises the quality of our team and helps the team offer our spectators winning and attractive football.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said Bayern would approach the next transfer window with caution, but they’ll also have the funds available to spend a considerable amount on the main players they want to bring in. Bayern might also sell a few players once the window opens, which would give them additional funds.
BFW analysis: process of elimination
Obviously, the three players Bayern has been linked with are Leroy Sane, Timo Werner, and Kai Havertz, but who specifically was Brazzo alluding to? Last week, reports across Europe suggested that Liverpool was close to signing Werner from RB Leipzig if they pay his release clause of around €60 million before it expires on June 15th. Jurgen Klopp has been keen on bringing the striker to Merseyside and Werner has been open about potentially moving to the Premier League. It seems unlikely at this point that Bayern would be his next destination.
RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner is ready to sign for Liverpool if they pay his £52m release clause before it expires on 15 June.
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 23, 2020
When push comes to shove in the argument for either Sané or Havertz, the argument for Sané’s case could be that Bayern could sign him for a much lower fee than Bayer Leverkusen would be asking for Havertz. Sané only has a year left on his contract with Manchester City and he still hasn’t signed a contract extension with the Citizens. The closer Sané gets to his contract expiring, the cheaper Bayern could get him for, especially if he’s unwilling to sign an extension with City. Not to mention, he hasn’t played a whole lot of football the past twelve months because of his cruciate ligament injury, so raising his price based on performance is out of the question if and when Bayern and City go back to the negotiating table.
Havertz’s contract runs through 2022, so Leverkusen have all of the leverage to demand a higher fee for the 20-year-old. That’s not to say that Bayern definitely wouldn't be interested in pulling the trigger on Havertz for a considerable fee, but with all things considered, Sane would make more sense, especially since his agent recently confirmed Sane’s interest in Bayern.