Bayern Munich “aware” of defensive midfielder need in January transfers market

The growing elephant in Bayern Munich’s midfield: the lack of a No. 6 in the mold desired by head coach Thomas Tuchel.

The Rekordmeister were willing to invest heavily in the position, despite the near- €100m expenditure on Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the summer transfer window, but a deadline day move for Fulham destroyer João Palhinha fell through and may not be resurrected.

That means the club is back to square one, and actively scouring the market for candidates to complement or even eventually replace Joshua Kimmich. Per Sport Bild, via @iMiaSanMia:

Bayern are aware they need to act on the market regarding the defensive midfield position. The club is not only considering Palhinha (for whom they won’t bid €65m again) and Kalvin Phillips (for whom City want more than €49m), but the scouts are currently watching several other defensive midfielders on-site with a view to the January window [@altobelli13, @cfbayern]

Not a lot of information just yet, is there? Between Palhinha’s new Fulham contract and Phillips’ reported price tag, it just does not seem like Bayern will be able to scrape the bargain bin for this one. That is if Bayern do indeed blitz the market in January — and manage to juggle their midfield priorities with those at center-back, where an injury crisis is currently roiling the club.