A final decision still has not yet been made and officially announced by either Manuel Neuer or Bayern Munich. The veteran keeper is taking his time to decide whether or not he will extend his contract for another year with the German Rekordmeister, or wind up leaving this summer.
Earlier this year, it was understood that he was going to have sat down and discussed his plan with the club’s front office by the time he turned 40 in March, but he’s wanted to take a bit more time to decide what’s best
for both him, and the club. It’s also likely that he does not want to take momentum or attention away from how good the team has been performing as they still push to try to secure a treble – any off-pitch distraction is something he probably wants to avoid contributing to.
Former club president Uli Hoeneß recently expressed his desire to stay at Bayern for another year and sporting director Christoph Freund shared that sentiment. They both feel him staying for another year would be highly beneficial for Jonas Urbig, who has been Neuer’s understudy since joining from FC Köln in January of 2025.
“We’ve spoken often about Manu’s situation and that it’s down to Manu. He will decide. Right now he’s fit and performing really well. We’ve said we’d like him to stay on for another year, also as a leader. We’re in a very good place with our goalkeepers in general, so we’re relaxed,” Freund explained (via @iMiaSanMia).
With how many matches he’s placed when Neuer has been unavailable, it’s no surprise that Bayern has full confidence Uribg can eventually take over as the club’s number one keeper, especially if Neuer sticks around for another year and can continue to play a mentorship type of role. If he leaves, there’s still the prospect of Sven Ulreich sticking around as an experienced backup and Alexander Nübel potentially sticking around to try to compete with Urbig after his Stuttgart loan spell is up.
There’s a fair amount of moving parts, but Bayern is well planned for either outcome of Neuer extending or leaving. For now, there’s still matches and titles to be won for Vincent Kompany’s side and whatever decision winds up being made, it will be handled in a completely professional manner that does not deter or distract from the task at hand for the rest of the squad.
