The center-back position at Bayern Munich is one that has fans, and maybe the club, split.
Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah are firmly entrenched as starters in Bavaria. On the bench, Kim Min-jae and Hiroki Itō are the backups, with Josip Stanišić as a player who can flex into the position. Finally, Cassiano Kiala and Filip Pavić as youth players with the potential to one day step into important roles.
That’s pretty good, right?
Maybe not good enough.
Kim and Itō are both rumored to be on Max Eberl’s
“sale list” (Itō as a mandatory sale target from the supervisory board, Kim as one to help lower the salary budget), Tah faded down the stretch last season, Stanišić has trouble tracking runners centrally is not a wholly dependable option centrally, Kiala suffered a season ending injury in February, and Pavić is still just 16-years-old.
Seeing all of that, the rumors linking Bayern Munich to Manchester City defender Joško Gvardiol start to make a little sense. Sam Lee of The Athletic (via @iMiaSanMia) is reporting that Gvardiol is factoring in interest from Bayern Munich as he thinks about a contract extension with Manchester City:
Joško Gvardiol is considering his options as he mulls a new contract offer from Manchester City as well as interest from Bayern Munich.
BFW Commentary
Gvardiol would be an acquisition that would help Bayern Munich both now and in the future. At just 24-years-old, Gvardiol can be a starter now at center-back or left-back and also act as a foundational piece for the club’s future. However, Gvardiol’s current deal runs through 2028 and City is eager to ink him for even longer.
Gvardiol’s cost could also be an issue for the Bavarians, who are not exactly eager to drop big money these days.
Should Bayern Munich seriously pursue Gvardiol, who has been rumored to want to return to Germany? Yes.
Will Bayern Munich make an effort to try and get him? Maybe.
Would the Bavarians be willing to actually buck up and get him? That is where the doubt starts.
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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