The 2023-24 season was a nightmare for German giants Bayern Munich, where not only their streak of 11 consecutive Bundesliga titles was broken, but they also ended the season without any silverware for the first time since the 2011-12 season. Now, under the stewardship of Vincent Kompany, they are targeting a rebuild.
Let us have a look at the 5 players Bayern Munich should sell in this transfer window:
#5 Noussair Mazraoui
Moroccan talent Noussair Mazraoui arrived in Bayern Munich on a free transfer from Ajax in 2022, after winning 6 trophies with the Dutch club. The plan initially was to play him as the first-choice right-back, but he has never found his footing in Germany.
Over the last two years, Mazraoui played 55 matches for the Bavarians but has never looked very comfortable. Things turned worse for Mazraoui when Bayern Munich signed the highly-rated French youngster Sacha Boey, who plays in the same position, in the last transfer window.
With Joshua Kimmich already being a reliable option for the right-back position, Boey is expected to slot in that position if Kompany decides to play the German in midfield. In one way or the other, there seems to be little room left for Mazraoui in the team.
#4 Leon Goretzka
Leon Goretzka was in the news around this time last year, as it was speculated that Bayern Munich are searching for a new midfielder and the German’s time is all but over. Ultimately, not only did Goretzka end up staying, but he played 42 matches and scored 6 goals.
The numbers might lead one to believe that he is among the first names on the team sheet now, but the reality is quite the contrary as he is still up for sale if the potential buyer knocks on Bayern’s doors with the offer they are demanding.
What worked against Goretzka was the snub from Germany’s national team manager Julian Nagelsmann, who also worked closely with the midfielder during his Bayern stint, for the UEFA Euro 2024. Instead, the likes of Robert Andrich and Pascal Gross were preferred.
#3 Matthijs de Ligt
Matthijs de Ligt is linked to a move to Manchester United
Bayern Munich are known for their shrewdness in the transfer market, with the reputation that if they spend big on a player, he ought to be very good. That was exactly what was thought about Matthijs de Ligt, who was signed for Ajax for €67 million, plus €10 million in add-ons.
It has been two years since de Ligt has been in Germany, but like his former teammate Mazraoui, he has not found life in the Bundesliga easy. It is the prime reason why the Bavarians had to go back into the central defender market and sign Kim Min-Jae from Napoli for €58 million.
Not only that, but Bayern Munich also signed Eric Dier on loan last season which has not been made permanent. Presently, Kompany also has Dayot Upamecano at his disposal alongside Min-Jae and Dier, pushing de Ligt further down the pecking order.
Manchester United remain very keen on signing de Ligt, although the clubs are far off in their valuations. The Red Devils’ manager Erik ten Hag publicly commented
“It remains to be seen whether Matthijs de Ligt will come. I know him well. I wanted to sign him two years ago but at that time, he was already very far along to join Bayern.”
#2 Kingsley Coman
There is a huge competition in the position of Kingsley Coman
While Goretzka has been mentioned on the list of players who could move away for two years, Kingsley Coman has been a regular feature on this list. But finally, in this transfer window, it seems that the French attacker will be ending his long association with the Bavarians that is spanned across nine seasons – two seasons as a loanee and seven as a permanent member.
The main reason is just that there is a lot of competition in the position Coman usually plays in – left-wing. Bayern Munich signed promising youngster Mathys Tel in 2022, who lived up to the promise by scoring 10 goals last season, as opposed to Coman’s 5.
Moreover, they also have Spanish youngster Bryan Zaragoza in the same position, whose loan deal from Granada has been turned into a permanent move. If needed, new signing from Crystal Palace, Michael Olise can also play in that position.
And lastly, Coman’s injury record might also lead Bayern to cut ties. It has previously been reported that Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbache and Saudi Arabian clubs were interested in signing him, but Coman rejected those as he wants to play in a top European club.
#1 Alphonso Davies
The four players we have mentioned so far are those whom Bayern Munich would want to sell. Alphonso Davies’ case is a bit different, as the club will ideally prefer to keep him for as long as they can, but they might be forced to sell him to prevent losses.
The situation currently is that the Canadian left-back’s contract is running out at the end of the upcoming season. It has been widely reported that the club and the player have not been able to agree on a fee, where the Bavarians are offering him €13 million remuneration per year, while Davies wants €20 million.
To spice things up, Real Madrid has entered the scene and it has been mentioned in Spanish media that if Davies and Bayern Munich ultimately fail to agree on a contract extension, they would be interested in signing him for free next season.
Given that they are the current Champions League winners, it is unlikely Davies will be opposed to the thought, so Los Blancos could pull off another Kylian Mbappe-like free transfer. Before the situation gets to that, Bayern should gauge the mood and pull the plug accordingly.