Bayern Munich’s decision to thin out the squad in the 2025 summer transfer window left a lot of critics and fans nonplussed. With the ever increasing schedule and load on the players, would a thinner squad really last through the whole season? The Bavarians have, however, enjoyed a phenomenal 2025/26 season to date and have benefitted in various ways from the thin squad, from the likes of Tom Bischof getting minutes in various positions to continue his development to youngster Lennart Karl enjoying
a breakout and over 10 Campus graduates making their first team debuts.
But the thin squad has also had its’ downsides. It relies a lot on the core players being in form, able to last through most games of the season without a break and specialists in their position. Bayern lack a true specialist right-back while candidates for the position, Konrad Laimer and Josip Stanišić, consistently rotate into other positions in the defense.
Even if a core player ticks all these boxes, such as Luis Díaz, they need some kind of natural back up. The Colombian left winger does not have that and has gotten minimal breaks because of this, leading to multiple tired performances.
Perhaps all of the above makes Sport Bild’s report, as captured by @iMiaSanMia, on the Bavarians’ primary transfer targets in the 2026 summer transfer window unsurprising:
Bayern are looking for a Luis Díaz backup on the left wing as well as a right-back for the new season. The club would be willing to spend around €80m to fill these positions, while also raising funds through sales (Palhinha, Zaragoza, etc)
Of course, Raphaël Guerreiro and Leon Goretzka have both announced their departures in the summer and will need to be replaced as well. Whether the club will do with promoting academy talent, using some of that budget to replace them or leave their squad spots open remains to be seen.
