All things considered, things turned out pretty decent for Bayern Munich in last summer’s transfer window up until now. The doom and gloom of missing out on both Florian Wirtz and Nick Woltemade has dissipated with just how good the German Rekordmeister have been doing so far this season — first in the Bundesliga, third in the Champions League table, and in the round of 16 of the DFB-Pokal. The productions Luis Diaz has provided from his appearances across all competitions thus far has certainly
filled the void left by missing out on Bayern’s two blockbuster transfers that both looked to be as good as done at certain points.
Liverpool beat Bayern to the punch and had a better sales pitch for Wirtz and VfB Stuttgart played hardball with Bayern for Woltemade and didn’t want to sell him to Bundesliga rivals — they went with Newcastle’s cash instead. Still, Bayern has to remain forward thinking with their squad planning and transfer strategies, and the activity behind the scenes never stops.
Bayern held interest in Olympique Lyon midfielder Malick Fofana during the summer transfer window, as he was one of several names listed on the Wirtz and Diaz contingency plan list. The Belgian international has a contract with Lyon that runs through June 2028 and he is still currently on Bayern’s radar, as per Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg (via @iMiaSanMia). He’s currently valuated at 30-million euros in the transfer market and has scored twice and assisted once from his 12 appearances between Ligue 1 and the Europa League so far this season. During the summer, it’s understood that he wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of being considered to be a backup for Diaz, who was already a backup of plan of sorts once Wirtz chose Liverpool over Bayern. It also came out towards the end of the summer transfer after Bayern secured Diaz that their interest in Fofana was never really that serious, at leats for a transfer pre-deadline day of the summer window — things could be different next summer.
Plettenberg also reports that Bayern have maintained an interest in FC Köln youngster Said El Mala, who’s name has been linked with a handful of European clubs by now. Per Plettenberg, Bayern’s interest in the 19-year-old is more of a priority than Fofana as they’re looking to provide a backup for Diaz on the wing, especially with Serge Gnabry’s future at the club still unresolved, though club officials have hinted at a potential contract extension. El Mala has burst onto the scene for Köln’s senior team this season, having already tallied 5 goals and 3 assists from his 14 appearances across all competitions. He’s also been a regular feature for the German U-21 side during their UEFA U-21 Euros qualifiers this year having provided an assist in their most recent 2-0 win over Georgia’s U-21s. Right now, El Mala’s price tag would likely be cheaper than Fofana’s, too, as he’s valued at 18-million euros by Transfermarkt.
