Buy or Sell: Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman conundrum

Buy low, sell high is the mantra for any investor — including football clubs. For Bayern Munich, that saying holds true for the ongoing Kingsley Coman contract negotiations.

Let’s take a look at what we know and what both sides must be considering ahead of the expiration date on Coman’s contract, which ends in 2023.

Bayern Munich’s reasons to buy (extend)

• At 24-years-old, Coman is a dynamic, young winger who has proven himself on the big stage. Who can fit his game-winner in the Champions League finale during the 2019/2020 season?
• Coman was arguably Bayern Munich’s most effective and consistent winger over the course of the 2020/2021 season. That might not be saying a lot, but it surely means something to the club.

Kingsley Coman’s reasons to buy (extend)

• Coman has a level of comfort in Bavaria and a proven history of winning.
• Coman can live comfortably even with only a slight pay increase in his next deal.
• Coman can be assured the club wants him and believes in him. That might not sound like much, but not all clubs would have stuck with Coman through all of his up-and-downs.

Photo by Stefan Matzke - sampics/Corbis via Getty Images

Bayern Munich’s reasons to sell

• Coman allegedly wants to be paid as much as €20 million, which would put him among the squad’s highest paid players. Even with his potential and his current standing on the team, this seems like too much.
• Coman’s injury history...have you seen it? At 24, he already has two pages of injuries listed on Transfermarkt.
• Coman also has a history of enduring slumps — including one that plagued him in the second half of this season. If not for a subpar season from Serge Gnabry and an even more inconsistent campaign from Leroy Sane, Coman’s season might get a little more scrutiny.
• Coman’s value might never be as high as it is right now — even in the COVID-19 era. Frankly, if a good financial deal is on the table, it might be too big of a gamble to risk being in a “must sell’ position next season given Coman’s injury history and penchant for slumps. If other clubs know Coman wants out next summer, the transfer fee could lessen knowing Bayern Munich will have to sell.
• Jamal Musiala was arguably Bayern Munich’s best winger in the second half of the season and might have a higher ceiling than either Coman, Sane, or Gnabry.
• That list above does not even include Alphonso Davies, who could be shifted further up the field to play wing at any point.
• Bayern Munich bought Coman for €20 million and could make 2.5 or 3 times as much from a sale.

Kingsley Coman’s reasons to sell (move on)

• Coman has already won everything he can win at Bayern Munich.
• As a Frenchman who probably does not have long-term plans to settle in the region, Coman has no affinity or attachment to take a lesser deal than he wants to.
• With his injury history, Coman needs to cash in on himself now. It was only roughly 20 months ago that Coman was so frustrated with his injury situation that he was considering walking away from the game.
• As a rotational player, Coman might just simply want to go to a club where he can be assured of his spot in the starting XI.

So...where do you fall on this?