Dayot Upamecano’s rumored deal with Bayern Munich is a great thing, but the devil could be in the details

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As Bayern Munich fans were becoming increasingly frustrated with Dayot Upamecano and his agents, the two sides got a deal done and agreed on a contract extension per multiple reports.

Let’s look at the

tale of the tape on where things stand…

Salary

What Dayot Upamecano allegedly wanted: €20 million.
What Bayern Munich was rumored to have offered: €20 million.
Summary: While maybe a bit high for the liking of some fans, a player is only worth what someone will pay him…and Bayern Munich was — allegedly — not alone in being willing to pay Upamecano what he wanted for a salary.

Signing Bonus

What Dayot Upamecano allegedly wanted: €20 million in a lump sum payment.
What Bayern Munich was rumored to have offered: €20 million, but it is unclear whether that would come in a lump sum payment, prorated over the length of the contract, or prorated over the length of a contract with voidable years.
Summary: Upamecano had every right to pursue a signing bonus and it is a clever way to up his overall contract value without dumping it the contract’s annual salary value. Again, some fans are not going to like it, but Bayern Munich seemed to have no problem with the total — only with how it would be paid out.

Release Clause

What Dayot Upamecano allegedly wanted: A release clause able to be triggered in 2028 (with a €60 million to €65 million fee).
What Bayern Munich was rumored to have offered: A release clause able to be triggered in 2028 (no word on fee).
Summary: Herein lies the rub — Bayern Munich was rumored to be offering a release clause eligible to be triggered in 2028, while Upamecano wanted one able to be exercised in 2027. This is a pretty massive issue, especially when considering how the signing bonus would be paid (lump sum vs. prorated vs. prorated with voidable years). If the rumors on Bayern Munich’s offer are true, the Bavarians won this part of the deal…but it is not exactly something to celebrate. Only having Upamecano for one more year — or even two more years — is not a huge win for the Bavarians, especially if it is the rumored fee of €60 million to €65 million. It is more like a Band-Aid, as Upamecano could have one eye on what’s next in 2026/27 or 2027/28….or both. If there is no release clause, which is doubtful, the contract would a big win for Bayern Munich.

So…what’s left to consider?

The contract length — oddly — was never a big talking point for the club or the player, but there are other things that played a big role in what happened:

Upamecano and his camp willfully dragged this out: Players pay agents to handle this kind of business, so they don’t have to think about it. Agents, as it is in their nature, are going to try and milk as much money and as many advantageous conditions in the contract as possible. It is just what they do. However, pulling out of talks last summer created more of an in-season distraction and created a lot frustration for fans and the club, as days turned into weeks and weeks into months with little-to-no progress.
Bayern Munich stood its ground: After garnering a reputation for caving into the demands of players, the Bavarians did not waver (at least that we know of…yet). The club put down a deadline, stuck to it, and asserted control over the situation.
Upamecano took back control of his career when it counted: After months of being led around by his representatives, the Frenchman finally had enough once Bayern Munich pulled its offer off the table. Upamecano then asked the club if he would still be able to accept the terms. While his agents were likely not thrilled, Upamecano might have reminded them that they work for him…and not vice-versa.
Kim Min-jae could bolt: This extension could cause the south Korean defender to re-think his future — now, more than ever, he is the clear No.3 center-back on a two-man starting depth chart. Even after all of this, Bayern Munich could still be in the market for a center-back this summer.

Upamecano is a very good player. A great player? Maybe, but he will have to prove that he was worth the wait and the rigmarole. That might be easy or the enhanced scrutiny he could be under could cause him to wilt. Fans have seen it work both ways in the past. Regardless, Upamecano is back at Bayern Munich for now and that is a good thing. When the devilish details emerge, we will all know for how much longer Upamecano will be manning the backline — and who really won this battle.

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…