According to a report from Bild (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern Munich and Dayot Upamecano have another issue aside of the quick trigger release clause — a lump sum payment of the €20 million signing bonus:
A main point of disagreement between Bayern and Dayot Upamecano’s camp is about the signing fee. The player’s representatives are demanding around €20m in one instalment. Bayern, on the other hand, want to spread it over the duration of the new contract and pay it out in several instalments.
From the club’s point of view, paying it outright would mean Upamecano can just leave using the release clause and take the entire signing fee – Bayern consider that unacceptable. The player’s representatives are currently unwilling to budge from their position.
BFW Analysis
This is a massive red flag and exactly the scenario we have been discussing for weeks. A €20 million per season salary + €20 million in a lump sum signing fee would mean a €40 million commitment to Upamecano for just next season alone. This would likely push Upamecano into being a top 5-10 player for salary in a top five league (Saudi salaries and one-off oddity deals like Lionel Messi’s MLS deal would also exceed that figure).
That might not sound too bad for one season, but Upamecano is also rumored to be pushing for a release clause to be activated in 2027 (after just one season) for a fee in the neighborhood of €60 million to €65 million.
The significance of that transfer fee is seriously nullified if Bayern Munich has to pay Upamecano €40 million just next season. This would a ridiculous deal for Bayern Munich to agree to and — if this report is true — is a major reason for caution.
A palatable alternative might be to pro-rate the salary across the life of the contract and include voidable years if Upamecano does leave with the exit clause, but that is likely not something Upamecano’s representation would agree to.
Upamecano is rumored to be in talks with Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Inter Milan. Oddly, Paris Saint-Germain is missing from that list, but the French power would seemingly be in the mix for Upamecano as well.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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