Will Manuel Neuer get a one-year contract extension at Bayern Munich or not? That’s the burning question right now for the veteran keeper as he approaches his 40th birthday. Both Oliver Kahn and Uli Hoeneß
have said on multiple occasions that they both feel Neuer could play at the top level well into his 40’s, and with the way this season has gone so far, there’s really nothing to suggest that can’t be the case, but there’s still a lot of factors at play that need to be discussed between Neuer and the club.
Per information from SportBild’s Christian Falk and Tobi Altschäffl (via @iMiaSanMia), the initial expectations with Neuer have slightly changed. Originally, it was understood that Neuer would definitely extend his contract with Bayern for another year, just as he has done for the past couple of seasons. However, whether or not he will sign a one-year extension is 50/50 and he is set to have further discussions with the club in the springtime after he turns 40 (March). As things currently stand, there’s nothing concretely decided one way or the other, and decisions will be made later on this season when the club will have a much better idea of where things stand.
Presumably, the club would like to take more of the season to assess Neuer to see how his performances pan out and see how his health and fitness are maintained. At this age, one muscular injury could really derail him and keep him sidelined for considerable spells during key phases of the season, which is always a calculated risk when offering older players contract extensions. There’s nothing to suggest that Neuer’s fitness is taking a significant dip, though there have been a handful of isolated incidents where pundits and former Bayern players felt he could’ve done better in certain situations.
There are also the conditions of a potential extension to consider. There could very well be a mutual understanding that penning a new deal could mean doing so with the understanding that next season is a transitional phase to Jonas Urbig starting to take over as the number one keeper for the club at some point. They could make an agreement that there’s only an expectation that Neuer play a certain number of gains while offering continuous support and consultation to Urbig. Eventually, Neuer won’t be the number one keeper for Bayern anymore and the club does have to take proactive steps to ensure the position is in the best possible hands for when he does leave.
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