Analysis: How can Bayern Munich raise money for transfers this summer?

If you’ve been following Bayern Munich this season, you’d know that the club is a little bit thin on the depth department. While Manchester City just cruised to a Champions League final while rotating their first XI every week, Bayern were annihilated by fatigue and injuries this season.

Compounding the issue is the fact that David Alaba, Javi Martinez, and Jerome Boateng are all leaving the club this summer. While their departures might free up some wages for other players, all three will be departing without so much as a penny being paid into the club accounts. It’s a very unfortunate situation all-round.

So, with all that in mind, and revenues already devastated by the pandemic, how can Bayern Munich raise money to make the necessary squad reinforcements this season? Well, let’s take a look:

The no-sell list

Bayern Munich don’t have a lot of sellable assets at the moment — at least, not many that the team can afford to part with. Letting Alaba leave without a transfer fee was a poor show by the bosses, because he would’ve fetched at least 25-30m euros if he had even a year left on his contract. That could’ve paid for a transfer at a key position.

Anyway, before we dive into the options for raising money, here’s a quick overview of the players the club CANNOT sell:

• Robert Lewandowski. Somehow, a section of the fanbase has come to the conclusion that Bayern Munich should sell Robert Lewandowski and invest the money in Erling Haaland. That’s a ridiculous notion, because Lewandowski is still leagues better than Haaland at the moment, and the Norwegian would cost a lot more money than what would be gained from selling Lewy. Selling him has to be out of the question — give him a contract extension instead.
• Kingsley Coman. Again, some people think that it would be easy to sell Coman and find an upgrade on the transfer market. Unfortunately, players of Coman’s caliber will always be significantly more expensive than the Frenchman ever was. Bayern got him on a cut-price deal from Juventus who didn’t realize the talent they had. Letting him leave would be a mistake.
• Niklas Sule. With Upamecano coming in, Sule’s place in the lineup looks pretty shaky. However, the big German provides depth across the backline, especially at right-back where Benjamin Pavard otherwise has no understudy. Any money gained from selling him would immediately have to be funneled back into an investment for the RB position — and good right-backs don’t come cheap (see: Bouna Sarr for a negative example).

The Unsellables

There are some players no club will touch with a ten foot barge pole. Bayern would probably love to move them on, but it’s looking impossible at the moment.

• Fiete Arp. No one’s paying a dime for Arp at the moment. The former Hamburg youth has been devastated by injuries and regressed as a player. His career is completely off the rails and he will probably leave Bayern for good only when his contract expires.
• Bouna Sarr. The bosses gave this man a four-year contract — he’s sticking around for a while. Maybe there’s a chance some club out there could take a chance on him, but Sarr is unlikely to move when he already has a nice contract at Bayern.

Potential sales

Now we’re taking. Who can Bayern actually sell this summer? Well, the list isn’t great ...

• Corentin Tolisso (estimated price: €20m). The Frenchman is probably Bayern’s best bet for raising some good money this summer. Clubs like Juventus may pay a decent amount to see Tolisso don their colors, and the player himself probably needs a change in scenery. Only problem is, his departure necessitates a replacement — and Bayern are thin in the midfield department already.
• Adrian Fein (estimated price: €8m). Fein has had a poor loan at PSV Eindhoven and will probably come back to Munich this summer. Unless he’s made a part of the rotation with the first team, it’s likely that he will be sold outright. There’s a decent chance of someone picking him up for around 8m euros, but in this post-pandemic climate, maybe we’re being a little optimistic.
• Joshua Zirkzee (estimated price: €8-10m). Zirkzee is coming off a failed loan at Parma, but he still has some suitors abroad. Squeezing around 8-10m euros out of a sale for the Dutchman would be some tremendous business by Bayern, since he doesn’t really have a role to play for the team anymore.
• Lars Lukas Mai (estimated price: €10-12m). Mai is one of the best talents to come out of FCBII in a long time, but his chances of making it into the first team look slim. He has accrued significant 2.Bundesliga experience during his loan this season, and there are probably some Bundesliga teams that could pay around 10m euros for a youngster of his caliber.
• Christian Fruchtl (estimated price: €4-5m). Christian Fruchtl has basically wasted a year on loan at Nurnberg, and it’s time to sell him. Manuel Neuer isn’t slowing down, and Alex Nubel is already waiting in the wings. The poor guy needs to play, and selling him for whatever we can get is probably the right option.

Possible loans

Of course, there is also the chance that Bayern can raise money via loan deals. Some of the significant ones are:

• Chris Richards. Hoffenheim love Chris Richards, and he’s been playing regularly with them. Getting another loan fee for the American while he reaps the benefits of playing top-flight football would be a good deal, especially with all the center backs Bayern have at the moment.
• Alexander Nubel. Monaco reportedly want Nubel on loan, and the player needs to play. Manuel Neuer is unlikely to give up his minutes any time soon, so loaning him is the only option. A keeper of Nubel’s caliber could generate a decent amount of money, and it would benefit Bayern in the long run to have him play regularly in Ligue 1. Hopefully, Brazzo makes this one happen.

Photo by Roland Krivec/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

Based on everything written above, Bayern Munich could theoretically generate up to €40m for extra transfers this summer, assuming we’re not too deep in the red from buying Upamecano and Nagelsmann. Unfortunately, real life is more complicated than the theory, and negotiating and closing all these deals would be a nightmare for the front office — especially when clubs know Bayern need to sell.

So, while a Camavinga or a Neuhaus transfer might be theoretically possible, fans shouldn’t expect Bayern Munich to make any more big signings this summer. Perisic style loan deals or young talents — that’s the best we’re going to get. Let’s hope that it’s enough, because there’s a lot at stake.