This is the second of a two-part piece covering potential transfer targets for Bayern Munich for the summer of 2026. If you haven’t read the first part, I would highly recommend doing so, as it lays out the premise and rubric of this piece as a whole in detail. You can find it here.
Let me be your ’leccy meter: Bolstering the middle
And I’ll never run out.
Let me be the portable heater, that you’ll get cold without.
Bayern Munich’s midfield situation is quite complicated. In Tom Bischof and Aleksandar Pavlović, there exists two players who are basically
guaranteed starters for the next decade, but their game-time is dependent on the players around them. Of the players around them, there are three. Joshua Kimmich is an immovable titan, and for good reason. João Palhinha has been a major success at Tottenham Hotspur in his loan spell so far, and the London club will likely activate the buy option included into the deal. That leaves Leon Goretzka, whose contract expires in the summer of 2026, with Bayern having shown little intention to extend his deal, even on decreased terms.
I want to make it clear that while Goretzka would in a vacuum be extremely valuable to this team on reduced wages due to his immense versatility and strong mentality, the current level he performs at is simply not good enough to be a starter over the youngsters, and another thing we are not capable of changing is the influence he has in the dressing room which will no doubt result in him getting more minutes than he probably should on a purely performance-based basis. Bayern must look elsewhere for their fourth midfield option.
There are multiple ways to go about it in my opinion. You can add a more physically rugged profile to keep that in the back-pocket for a rainy day, you can get yet another controlling presence to allow Vincent Kompany to freely rotate between four great ball-players in the pivot, or you can even maximise Harry Kane’s current position in the system by getting a midfielder who loves to crash the box and is far more comfortable moving around the ball than receiving it. I’ve added a little bit of everything.
Let’s start with a former Bayern boy, someone who looked like he held immense promise but ultimately couldn’t break through in the early 2010s due to the sheer magnitude of quality in midfield: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. The Danish midfielder has carved out quite a nice career for himself since, now being part of a flying Olympique Marseille side and the captain of the Danish national team. While he still holds the fantastic abilities in build-up that made him such an exciting prospect for Pep Guardiola back in the day, eight years of playing in the Premier League (mostly as a lone 6) have added a noticeable heft to his physique. Højbjerg is more than capable of controlling a game with the ball at his feet, but is just as capable of controlling a game by brushing a dribbler off the ball and recovering possession. However, I think he doesn’t have enough dynamism for a Kompany pivot, as he’s often experimented with pushing his pivots into zones atypical of central midfielders to spend the majority of the game in, something I think Højbjerg’s classical positioning tendencies would struggle to adapt to. He wouldn’t be cheap either; Transfermarkt values him at €20m, which is no small ask for a man who will be 31 by the time the next season starts.
At the other end of the spectrum, PSV’s Ismael Saibari is a player that feels destined to become the key cog of a team that challenges the status quo of European football but never manages to topple it, and may actually become part of that in this current PSV side that is genuinely one of the scariest forces in the Champions League. Saibari has been employed as an interior forward by Peter Bosz as of late, but cut his teeth as a midfielder for most of his career. However, this is only a positive for us as Bayern play extremely high, and with the central attackers’ tendency to drop into the pivot in build-up, having a midfielder who is just as comfortable receiving between the lines as he is slipping the ball around the back adds yet another layer to the potential for rotations. Saibari has been a man on a mission this season, with five goals and an assist to his name already in thirteen games (including two in the Champions League — although it should’ve been three; if you know, you know). However, I think his direct method of play lacks control, and he hasn’t showcased the level of tenacity and workrate off the ball to make up for his risk-taking to warrant Bayern taking a swing at him. Transfermarkt values him at €27m, but due to his age, recent form and long contract running until 2029, he will likely go for something in the €40m range if not higher, which puts me off.
An option that balances Saibari’s aggressive final-third prodding and Højbjerg’s more controlled temperament is a player that I’d argue is one of the most Bayern-coded players to have never donned the iconic red: İlkay Gündoğan. The German midfielder would’ve been the perfect foil to Joshua Kimmich a few years ago with his tenacious duelling, tendency to let play develop around him rather than gravitating towards the ball, and of course his signature late runs into the box which have resulted in him painting a catalogue of iconic late-season difference-makers for Manchester City. He may only have spent a season at FC Barcelona, but in that season he showcased his ability to conduct build-up too, becoming a player more happy to receive the ball and spread it around, but make no mistake, his best is still when he’s put next to a midfielder who likes to have the ball. Gündoğan will be available on a free transfer in the summer of 2026, but he will be 36 by the time we reach the second half of that season. While I think it’s fine to have a player of that age considering he is still running like he’s 30 and we only really want him to be a fourth midfield option rather than somebody who consistently starts, it’s still dicey to bring in a player who will no doubt influence the locker room massively for such a short spell.
If we are to look for control, then there is no better option on this list than Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans. The Belgian midfielder began his career as a highly touted prospect at RSC Anderlecht before a spell at AS Monaco where he never really shattered the ceilings expected of him, but a good season was rewarded with a €45m move to Leicester City where he truly began to show glimpses of the gifts he possesses, his crowning achievement being an outrageous long-ranger that was the solitary goal in a 1-0 FA Cup win over Chelsea in the final. A move to Villa followed a couple years later, and while he took a while to get going, he is now fully throwing his weight in oppressing opposition control of games, something Bayern highly value in their pivot players. Capable of both drifting into spaces within opposition blocks as well as dropping into the first line of build-up, Tielemans is the perfect midfielder to add to Kompany’s repertoire. Almost. While I think Tielemans is perfect in a vacuum, we already have profiles similar to his, if not exceeding his abilities already at their young age. Furthermore, while Tielemans’ contract (expiring in 2027) might put pressure on Villa to sell, it would still be a hard bargain for a then-29 year old. There’s one more trick left in the bag.
Feyenoord’s Quinten Timber might become a hot prospect in the summer with his contract set to expire at the end of the season. Timber is industrious, creative, tough in the tackle and surprisingly smooth on the ball, all qualities Kompany covets in his central players. His creativity and technical ability make him capable of both contributing to build-up as well as being the extra man in attack. His combative nature off the ball makes him perfect for Kompany’s aggressive counter-press and press. His engine, workrate and physique make him the perfect foil for Kompany’s tendency to leave bigger gaps in the centre for the pivots to cover. Simply put, Timber is the complete package in what Bayern want as a fourth midfield option in both broadening their options for midfield setups as well as being able to execute known setups at a high level, all at the age of 24 and for free. The only downside is that as of late, Timber has been quite injury-prone, and his health should be monitored for the rest of the season before Bayern look to finalise any sort of deal. But for free, I think he’s more than worth the punt.
Also, yes, he is the brother of Arsenal’s Jurriën Timber.
I wanna be your setting lotion: Spicing things up in the attack
Hold your hair in deep devotion (How deep?),
Atleast as deep as the Pacific Ocean.
The current Bayern Munich attack is stacked, no doubt about it. But with just a couple injuries, it quickly wears thin. That’s why, I think Bayern should look to sign not just another specialist, but a generalist like they have for this season in Nicolas Jackson, only… better. For the purposes of this section, we assume that Serge Gnabry has extended his contract on reduced terms. If not, well.
Arsenal have had a striker problem for a while, but seem to have finally fixed it in the form of Viktor Gyökeres. However, left in his wake is the ghost of the man once thought to be the solution: Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian attacker is the perfect Gnabry replacement, lower wages, quick, strong presser, hard-working, extremely good in tight spaces, and most importantly, versatile. He’s played on both wings, as an attacking midfielder and as a striker, which is exactly what we need from the Gnabry replacement. Transfermarkt values him at €25m and with a contract expiring in 2027, he could be tempted by the offer of Bayern and put pressure on Arsenal to sell for a cut-price. However, he has spent the last year recovering from a cruciate ligament tear and his physicals should be monitored in the second half of the season when he returns before making a commitment.
For the rest of the options, you can assume that either Jesus was signed or Gnabry was extended. It works either way. In essence, these are our Nicolas Jackson replacements, although in reality they are more our Thomas Müller replacements, although in reality they are more ‘this guy doesn’t have a set position in the front four but will come in almost every game at some point off the bench to give somebody a rest, if not start’. However, the role they are most suited to is different for almost every player. The one constant is that Gnabry/Jesus plies his trade as the backup left-winger as well as being an option in the event of Harry Kane being unavailable.
So, what are we even looking for? Well, it’s complicated, and differs from option to option.
We begin with the weakest pick of the bunch in my opinion, but still no doubt a tantalising option: AS Roma’s Paulo Dybala. The Argentine forward was a player that pretty much every club worth their salt was interested in about a decade ago, but now in 2025 at the age of 32, he attracts far less interest, with barely any media attention being given to his expiring contract. Yes, it’s another free transfer option, and he’s not the only one. Dybala would be a fantastic addition to the attack, being able to play off of Kane in the Gnabry/Musiala role as Musiala’s backup. Dybala is fantastic as a second striker dropping into midfield to receive on the turn, but he isn’t half-bad hanging on the last man either, and when combined with his mixed attacking threat — the pass, the dribble, the shot — we have a real handful. Dybala is a criminally underrated presser too, and has shown it especially in the last year or so, so I have no qualms about his abilities out-of-possession. However, in my opinion, Dybala is not a good fit for the club culturally, and doesn’t bring enough of an X-factor to warrant carving out a corner for him.
A player who similarly wouldn’t be a good cultural fit but is slightly more compelling of an option on a purely footballing basis is Juventus’ Dušan Vlahović. The Serbian striker also has an expiring deal, and would be a really fascinating option as a Musiala backup. It might seem strange to tout him as the Musiala backup when he is nothing like Musiala, but I think the role that the attacking midfielder currently plays (Gnabry, sometimes Jackson) is far more suited to Vlahović than it is the deep playmaking role Kane is currently undertaking. Vlahović’s physique suits that role really well, especially if we’re going to make these long sweeping balls from Kane a regular feature of our more direct game, as Vlahović is especially good in these situations with his strength and speed. Vlahović is also 25 which gives him time to grow, and he is already far better technically than he is often given credit for due to his rough technique during his developmental years. I think he’s a really fascinating option, but I think there are better ones out there.
Through thick, through thin, through highs, through lows, there has been perhaps no player that has consistently shown his class even in the darkest periods of his career than Atlético Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann. Much like Koundé, this is more a pipe dream than a real option, but Griezmann would be the perfect backup for both Kane and Musiala. Just imagine being able to rotate between those three in the centre, it would be pure CINEMA. Griezmann might be 35 in the spring, but he is still running like he’s in his prime, and not just in quantity but in speed. Beyond the massive workrate though, he is still showing the groovy technicals that have always defined his play, but his most radiant quality is and always has been his mind. If you watch Griezmann play, you will notice the way he finds pockets is unbelievable, it’s like there’s some sort of magnetic force around him and the opposition is being repelled by virtue of having the same charge. With a contract expiring in 2027, Atlético may be tempted to sell, but at 35, I think there’s just no point going for him because he’s already shown signs of decline in his fundamentals. Maybe in another life, Antoine.
This one is probably going to piss people off. I don’t care.
Kai Havertz. Yes, Kai Havertz. THE Kai Havertz. I’ve been well known as a Havertz defender, and I will remain to be one until the day I die, and especially so because just before the injury that cut his start to the season short, he looked a menace. Havertz has always been relatively quick in a straight line as well as with his feet, but it was obvious that over the summer he had taken measures to increase his strength too, and it showed as he had begun to bulldoze through defenders with his newly-added mass, although he managed to retain his lower-body agility. Havertz remains a player who is just superior to most players he plays with positionally, although his technicals have always been a point of question, specifically his finishing. However, play him in the deep lying forward role that Kane has been in recently, and all your problems go away. You come away with two strikers both capable of dropping in, and you don’t force Havertz into having to fix the in-the-box issues he’s struggled with throughout his career. It’s like the reverse of what Mikel Arteta did last season where he had Havertz crashing the box late from midfield and saw great success. This, combined with Havertz’s typical German approach to out-of-possession play, which is to say, his press is hydraulic, and we have the perfect set of ingredients for Bayern’s latest attacker. I really, really, would like to see him in a Bayern shirt at some point, but he is 26, and time is running out. Arsenal likely won’t let him go for anything less than what they paid for him; a figure in the region of €75m, and I think it’s too much, because ultimately the reason I have favoured these older attackers so much is that we can get a good few seasons out of them for no transfer fee while we observe the market to see if the perfect profile pops up. Maybe in another season, Kai.
So, who’s my pick?
Bernardo Silva is a player that’s been linked with a move away from Manchester City for years, but it’s seemingly never materialised. However, the Portuguese midfielder’s contract runs out this summer, and it seems unlikely that he will be extending. This is the perfect time for Bayern to snatch up one of the smartest players in the history of the game on a free transfer while his body is still able to keep up with his mind.
I can’t put into words how much Bernardo Silva enamours me. A player with no vertical stature, no speed, but just sheer technical brilliance and visionary thought. His ability to manipulate structures with his movement is unbelievable, and his ability to take advantage of the holes he’s poked when he gets on the ball is even more impressive. Now aged 31, he has been phased out of City’s main team, often being asked to play in the pivot where he absolutely should not be. It’s a testament to his intelligence however, that Guardiola has called upon him to play everywhere from attacking midfielder to right-wing to the pivot to even left-back. Left-back.
Bernardo is surprisingly capable at holding up the ball and retaining it when receiving a long ball for someone of his stature, making him a great candidate to play the advanced forward role, but his experience in the pivot and on the wing in Guardiola’s City makes him an even more perfect candidate for the deep forward role. His versatility also means that if for some godforsaken reason we are short of right-wingers or pivot players, he can slot in there too, but I really see him as one of the two central forwards.
I wanna be yours: The bigger picture
I wanna be yours, I wanna be yours,
I wanna be yours.
Arrivals
- Eric García – free
- Anthony Caci – free
- Quentin Timber – free
- Gabriel Jesus – €30m
- Bernardo Silva – free
Departures
- Leon Goretzka
- Serge Gnabry
- Sacha Boey
- Raphaël Guerreiro
- Nicolas Jackson (end of loan)
You may have noticed that if Bayern hypothetically manage to nab all five of the players I’ve mentioned, they will have spent a grand total of… whatever Gabriel Jesus costs us, somewhere in the €25-30m range.
This is no mistake.
I believe that the Bayern project is really, really strong right now, and we should utilise that pull to grab hold of talented players on free transfers to maximise our savings. It’s good to spend money when you’re already on top, but there is a limit, and I think there’s no need to force a massive financial expenditure just because the club didn’t spend heavy this summer. Smart business is always better than ambitious business. Furthermore, the philosophy for this window for me has been to fill the squad with the right profiles at reasonable cost, with the idea that Bayern can continue to observe the market and pick out any extraordinary players patiently, not requiring the urgency of a hole in the squad that needs to be immediately filled. An example of this is how Bayern picked off Tom Bischof when the midfield already seemed crowded, but now this season the space has opened up for him to get minutes and even a couple of starts already, and it’s only going to open up more for him as the season progresses.
Now, I didn’t pick these players in tandem with each other, but rather picked the individual best option (in my opinion obviously) from each set. However, if I were able to pick in tandem, I would replace Eric García with Nico Schlotterbeck. Bayern will no doubt have the money to spend on him if the club have only spent the amount above, and Dortmund are probably going to be forced to sell him in the summer anyway, as his contract expires in 2027, and the chances of a renewal are slim with the names that have been circling the waters.
That gives us the following squad for the 2025/26 season:-
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer, Jonas Urbig, Sven Ulreich, Leon Klanac
Centre-back: Dayot Upamecano, Nico Schlotterbeck, Jonathan Tah, Min-jae Kim, Hiroki Itō, Anthony Caci*, Josip Stanišić*
Right-back: Konrad Laimer, Josip Stanišić, Anthony Caci, Joshua Kimmich*
Left-back: Alphonso Davies, Anthony Caci, Hiroki Itō, Konrad Laimer*, Josip Stanišić*
Central midfield: Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlović, Tom Bischof, Quentin Timber, Konrad Laimer*, Bernardo Silva*, Jamal Musiala*
Right-wing: Michael Olise, Lennart Karl, Bernardo Silva*
Left-wing: Luis Díaz, Gabriel Jesus, Wisdom Mike, Jamal Musiala*
Central forward: Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus
* – capable of playing the position in a pinch, but not planned for it.
Now THAT is immense squad depth, and all achieved while barely spending anything. Please, Bayern, because you absolutely have to, construct something of this depth. Lord knows the team needs it with the intensity at which they’ve been playing week in week out.
What did you make of this piece? Do you think there’s somebody we missed? Let us know in the discussion below.
