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Update: Chris Richards’ move from Bayern Munich to Crystal Palace is a step away according to Romano

Personal terms, check. Exact transfer fee, check. All the nitty gritty details are done, now it’s time for action.

FC Bayern München - Training Session Photo by S. Mellar/FC Bayern via Getty Images

Update: July 20, 9:45AM EST — Fabrizio Romano says transfer’s almost done

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Bayern Munich’s Chris Richards is a step away from joining Premier League side Crystal Palace for the same reported fee of €15 million with add-ons.

The final details have been discussed and both clubs are in agreement. Personal terms have also been agreed with, as coach Patrick Vieira wants the American youngster in his team.

We wish Richards a very successful career ahead! Auf wiedersehen, Chris!


Update: July 20, 4:00AM EST — Falk verifies details about the transfer fee

So, it’s done. According to Sport BILD’s Christian Falk, Bayern Munich defender Chris Richards is moving to Crystal Palace for a price of €15-20 million. This is an insane bit of business by the Bayern board, considering they got him from Dallas for a meagre €1.1 million. Richards and Palace have already agreed on a five-year contract. FC Dallas will be receiving 35% of the transfer fee, which is around €5.25-7 million.


Update: July 19, 6:30PM EST — Crystal Palace and Bayern Munich have a deal in place for Chris Richards

According to Florian Plettenberg, Bayern and Palace have agreed a deal worth 15-20m including add-ons for American defender Chris Richards. Bild have also confirmed the numbers. The transfer fee is solid for a player so young, but FC Dallas have a 40% sell-on fee so Bayern won’t be taking home the full amount.

Here’s the tweet by Plettenberg:


Update: July 19, 10:45 PM EST — Brazzo confirms the talks

Brazzo has confirmed to BILD that there are ongoing talks with Crystal Palace on the sale of Chris Richards. Richards might be the only sale Bayern make in defense this season, so it is safe to assume they will push relentlessly for as high an amount as they can possibly get.


With Bayern Munich having more or less completed the Matthijs de Ligt transfer, the Dutchman is more or less guaranteed to walk straight into the starting XI. Therefore, several news reports suggest that the Bavarians are looking to offload central defenders this summer transfer window. This puts the positions of players like Dayot Upamecano, Tanguy Nianzou, Benjamin Pavard and Chris Richards in jeopardy.

Chris Richards has not played for Bayern for nearly two seasons now, having spent most of his time in on loan at TSG Hoffenheim. Now it looks like the young USMNT defender might be leaving the club for Crystal Palace.

According to a report by Florian Plettenberg, the former FC Dallas youth has a verbal agreement with the Premier League side. All that is left is for Bayern and Palace to come into an agreement regarding the transfer fee.

How much could he sell for? It’s not really certain. There were earlier reports that Bayern could include Richards in a deal for Hoffenheim’s David Raum, but if the player already has an agreement with Palace then that would take the move off the table. We’ll have to wait and see how things shape up in the coming weeks.


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