Bayern Munich midfielder Adrian Fein set for LAFC transfer

Bayern Munich’s 23-year-old Adrian Fein — almost a forgotten man in Bayern’s defensive midfield — is on the verge of sealing a move to LAFC and Major League Soccer, per Sport1. He would be the eighth official departure this transfer window for the Rekordmeister.

Fein is reportedly already in Los Angeles, and thus a move should be concluded shortly:

According to SPORT1 information, Adrian Fein will most likely join Los Angeles FC. The 23-year-old, who was most recently on loan at Dynamo Dresden, is already training with the MLS club and final contract arrangements are currently being negotiated.

The midfielder’s contract at FCB still runs until the summer of 2023, but [head coach] Julian Nagelsmann is already planning without him. At Los Angeles, Fein would meet former Real Madrid star Gareth Bale and Juventus legend Giorgio Chiellini.

Fein’s early career got off to a fine start, peaking in 2019/20 with a strong loan performance for Hamburger SV in the 2. Bundesliga. That season, he’d played 2624 minutes over 31 games (29 starts) per fbref, and seemed poised to join the first team on a more permanent basis.

Then a series of increasingly disappointing loans followed: first to PSV Eindhoven, where he was out of favor; then to SpVgg Greuther Fürth, where he barely played, and finally to SG Dynamo Dresden, where he didn’t play. Now, entering the last year of his contract, the still-young defender found himself with no future at his club.

This move is an interesting one from an MLS perspective, especially in light of their recent acquisitions. MLS has an incredibly low salary cap by European standards and an abstruse system of exceptions around it. Bale and Chiellini were signed using one of these: TAM, or Targeted Acquisition Money. Perhaps even dubiously, with some suggestions of side money:

(#DOOP refers to the Philadelphia Union, apparently — don’t ask us, must be a Delco thing. Maybe Chuck knows?)

Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see when (or if) the final transaction figures become known, as well as whether Fein uses the available Designated Player slot for LAFC.

For Fein, it appears to be a sign that he figures large in his next club’s plans, which will be a welcome change of pace after his recent experiences. For Bayern, it will be a question of how much they can fetch for a player whose transfer value has unfortunately fallen precipitously in recent years.