Report: Dayot Upamecano rejects Arsenal and Barcelona for a deal with Bayern Munich

Well this is somewhat new (and very interesting). According to Bild, Bayern Munich have agreed a deal to sign RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano. The Frenchman has apparently rejected advances from Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and even Barcelona to join the German giants this summer — provided a agreement can be reached with his club. Upamecano’s current contract runs out in the summer of 2021, after which he can leave Leipzig as a free agent.

This of course gives the Bavarians an enormous amount of leverage in negotiations. The defender’s contract includes a 60m euro release clause, but because of the coronavirus pandemic Bayern will be looking to negotiate the final number down significantly. If Leipzig refuse to budge, then Upamecano could simply choose to leave for free next summer — similar to how Borussia Dortmund ended up losing Robert Lewandowski on a free transfer.

As for Upamecano’s prospective role within the team — with Lucas Hernandez and Niklas Sule racking up minutes on the injury list, the addition of the Frenchman will give bayern much-needed depth in the middle of the defense, especially if Jerome Boateng leaves in the summer like he is expected to. There’s also the potential of David Alaba being allowed to go back to left back and pushing Alphonso Davies back to his natural position as a left winger — but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

For now, Bild claims that there’s definitely no agreement between Leipzig and Bayern on Upamecano. This transfer rumor could still turn out to be complete nonsense, as most transfer rumors do. But the prospect of signing a tank like Upamecano is certainly going to be an exciting one for Bayern fans, and will surely bring the team one step closer to the illustrious treble.