Report: Bayern Munich might have a deal in place to sign Florian Neuhaus in 2022

According to a report from Bild, Bayern Munich could be planning to sign Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder and Germany international Florian Neuhaus next summer.

The situation with Florian Neuhaus (24) is similar to that with (Marcus) Thuram. Two years left on his contract, plus an exit clause of 40 million. Rumor has it that there’s an agreement with Bayern to stay for another year and and then to move back home.

The reference to “moving back home”, of course, refers to Neuhaus being a native of Landsberg am Lech in Bavaria.

Rumors have persisted for months that Bayern Munich was eyeing the talented midfielder, but the financial climate during this global pandemic has hit many clubs hard — including the Bavarians.

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With no urgent need to fill for a starting spot this summer, Bayern Munich likely felt no urgency to trigger Neuhaus’ exit clause this year. In the summer of 2022, however, Thomas Müller will be nearing 33-years-old, which could give the Bavarians room to add an an heir apparent to the Raumdeuter — or at least another midfielder to bolster the position. Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka are fantastic players, but Corentin Tolisso has been inconsistent and injured — and could transfer out this summer or next — while Marc Roca has yet to establish himself as a viable candidate for consistent field time with the club.

Jamal Musiala is another candidate for the midfield, but also has played in a wide position. From a campus standpoint, Bayern Munich is very high on Torben Rhein, who will likely need to make the first-team within the next year or move away from the club (via loan or transfer) to stay on track for his career progression.

Neuhaus projects to more of a “8” than either a “6” or a “10”, which would put him in the unenviable spot of trying to compete with Goretzka, but there could be options for the versatile and creative midfielder. Neuhaus could conceivably be a player who can slide into any of those roles to provide depth behind the established starters.

Whatever the case, Bayern Munich might indeed be planning to make a splash in the transfer market — just not this summer.