Thomas Müller wary of spending big on Kai Havertz while player wages have been cut

Bayern Munich has been persistently linked with Leroy Sané and Kai Havertz, both of whom have considerable price tags attached to their names respectively by Manchester City and Bayer Leverkusen. A report earlier today suggested that Bayern may be willing to wait until the end of next season for Sané, signing him on a free transfer after his contract with City expires, so more focus could theoretically be put on Havertz for the time being.

After Bayern Munich’s victory of Eintracht Frankfurt, Thomas Müller offered his praises for Havertz, referring to the 21-year old as an “extremely good player” and “one of Europe’s top talents” who has “such very, very good skills” (kicker). Muller’s comments are not unwarranted: Havertz has enjoyed a fantastic campaign with Leverkusen, scoring 15 goals and providing 8 assists in 38 appearances across competitions. Of course, Havertz will have the chance to square off against Müller and Bayern against in the DFB-Pokal final in Berlin on July 4.

Despite being a fan of Havertz’s, Müller is uncertain of how Bayern could afford him. It’s likely he would cost over €80 million, which is a fee that might not be entirely feasible in the post coronavirus transfer market.

Muller said, “But I unfortunately have no insight into the finance department of Mr. Dreeßen (executive director of finance) and the sporting director’s department. So I don’t know what money can be allocated in current times.” He then also suggested some slight displeasure at the idea that that funds from player’s salary cuts may, in one way or another, contribute towards a transfer fee for Havertz — or Sané for that matter. Müller added, “It’s also a little paradoxical when you’re always talking about new signings and at the same time wages are being cut.”

There are so many questions surrounding what the next transfer window is going to look like in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The financial toll that it’s already taken on clubs throughout Europe will make it difficult to do business like it was done in the past, at least for the foreseeable future. While Bayern’s front office will want to take every opportunity they can to bolster Hansi Flick’s squad and make the right signings, Müller has a right to be a little bit perplexed in how the larger fees would be funded. Would Bayern really use surplus cash from cut wages to spend on a player like Havertz? That remains to be seen.