BFW Postseason Breakdown: Player We Want to See Transfer to Bayern Munich

We already know that Bayern Munich will not be making a big splash in the transfer market. With some holes to fill and questionable depth, the Bavarians could be looking to add some cheap talent at key positions.

Still, a limited budget is going to make it extremely difficult for Bayern Munich to fill out its roster. Below, our staff jotted down which players they most want to see transfer in — some were realistic, others...not so much:

Chuck Smith

• Florian Grillitsch, Hoffenheim: I was tempted to go with Ivan Perisic because he’s experienced and valuable, but I have no idea if Julian Nagelsmann is going to deploy a system where Perisic could be of use. Because I think Corentin Tolisso should move on and I am not sure if Marc Roca can break through at Bayern Munich, though, I looked at the central midfeld — in particular a player who operated under Nagelsmann with great success: Florian Grillitsch. Grillitsch could provide depth as a “6” or an “8” and because Kimmich and Goretzka can both push up to higher roles, Grillitsch could be the type of player the squad needs for an experienced depth player. I do worry about adding another relatively young midfielder — and would actually prefer a more grizzled veteran — but with an expiring deal in 2022, Grillitsch could be attainable.

Ineednoname

• Callum Hudson-Odoi, Chelsea: He’s great and you know I’m right. Stop denying the truth.

Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images

Jack Laushway

• Frenkie de Jong, FC Barcelona: There were plenty of players I considered. In the end, I knew I wanted to select a centre-back or a central midfielder. Matthias Ginter would be an excellent option for a centre-back, and I believe he could do great things under Nagelsmann. However, I opted for Frenkie de Jong. This loveable Ajax product could do wonders for Bayern, as an incredibly dynamic midfielder. Signing De Jong would allow a stronger rotation for Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich, taking some strain off their load. De Jong fits their same role and gives Bayern an option to come for many years, assuming he would stay. This is a bit of a less realistic option for the club, and would only happen with the outgoing sales of Corentin Tolisso and more. However, if the club can afford it, they would have another gem in their midfield for the next decade.

Samrin

• Emil Forsberg, RB Leipzig: I know this will not happen but I wish it would. There is a touch of brilliance about Forsberg that’s a rare find — he doesn’t score as often as he should but he knows where the goal is. He has some Raumdeuter ala Thomas Müller type qualities; he can play further forward as a target man and he can play as a ten. It came down to between him, Jonas Hofmann and Lars Stindl for me. Stindl is the face of Borussia Mönchengladbach currently and that is not going to happen, especially considering Stindl is the wrong side of 30; Hofmann can make clever runs from deep and can come in from wide positions — he is quite similar to some players Bayern already have and I can’t see him leave Gladbach either, or, for that matter, I can’t see Bayern pursuing him.

Schnitzel01

• Ryan Gravenberch, Ajax: Bayern are in need of another midfielder. I feel the club is seriously considering the sales of Michaël Cuisance, Tolisso and Adrian Fein (who haven’t impressed at all) and although two of them might still have time on their side (Cuisance, Fein), they still haven’t shown enough to entertain the possibility that they may have a high ceiling. Bayern should be able to get at least 35-40m from the combined sale of the 3 players, and they could invest around 30m from those proceeds on Gravenberch, Ajax’s rising star.

If I had my way and if Bayern had loads of cash, I would’ve called for the purchase of Leipzig’s Marcel Sabitzer, but keeping the financial situation in mind, it doesn’t get better than the Dutch holding midfielder. At just 19 years of age, he’s already a mainstay in the Ajax midfield and has top clubs all around Europe vying for his signature. Playing primarily at the 6, he is great as a defensive midfielder with great awareness, tackling ability and is also quick on the ball. His passing, stellar dribbling and great vision allow him to also take the role of a deep lying playmaker. In short, he’s an all in 1 package and players like him are uncommon. If he comes to Bayern, he’d have the chance to perfect his trade with guidance from the world’s best. Bayern has to consider bringing him in this summer.

RuneKingThor

• N’Golo Kanté, Chelsea: ‘N’Golo the Omnipresent’ would make an excellent addition to the Bayern midfield. Kanté and his clones would seal the backline from the opposition leaving the Bavarian attackers free to have a greater focus on attack and score in the double digits. Simple.

On a more serious note, Kanté would solve the current depth issue that has plagued Bayern Munich since the departure of the Spanish maestro Thiago Alcantara. His ability to play as a 6 or an 8 will allow the coach to adequately rest Kimmich and Goretzka as well as add another dimension to Bayern’s current pedal-to-the-metal playstyle. However, the Frenchman’s current contract with Chelsea that runs until 2023 coupled with his importance to their team sadly makes this a dream transfer.

Raumdeuter#25

• Konrad Laimer, RB Leipzig: Assuming that Thiago Alcântara is staying with Liverpool, I believe Konrad Laimer should be our top transfer target for this summer. While Marc Roca and Corentin Tolisso are great players in their respective roles, it became noticeable over the course of the 2020/21 season that both of the midfielders lacked certain attributes that were necessary to execute Hansi Flick’s plan to its full potential. But it seems that incoming coach Julian Nagelsmann will also be implementing principles of pressing similar to his predecessor.

In this sense, Laimer aptly fulfills all of our roster needs - a destroyer defensive-midfielder (Javi Martinez replacement), a dynamic pressing machine who is familiar with the double pivot (compatible with our system), Nagelsmann’s favorite (knows the coach), a backup right-back (versatile player) and an Austria International (remember that Bayern have never won a treble without an Austrian). Given the tiring job of our midfielders, signing Laimer could be beneficial in providing rest to Leon Goretzka or Joshua Kimmich without experiencing any significant drop off in Bayern’s midfield quality.