In order to slim down the club’s wage bill, Bayern Munich actively shopped a number of experienced veterans this summer. Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui each made a successful transfer to Manchester United while Leon Goretzka and Kingsley Coman were unable to complete a deal.
But could a big move be on the horizon still?
Coman has successfully integrated back into the squad and is being used by head coach Vincent Kompany, while Goretzka has received the short end of the stick. The veteran midfielder played a single minute against Freiburg and 10 minutes in mop-up duty in a 9-2 Champions League victory over Dinamo Zagreb.
Barring a lot of injuries during the Hinrunde, Goretzka seems to be on a direct course for a January transfer, but there is a one major problem with that scenario. Who would be interested in a benched player that earns a massive €18M salary?
In a recent interview (via @caughtoffside), reporter Christian Falk said, “Manchester United were previously interested in [Goretzka’s] services and they’ve seen that they can make good deals with Bayern Munich having landed both Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui in the summer. They also have Joshua Zirkzee who was a quasi-Bayern player in the sense that United paid a fee to them for his transfer. I think they know that Bayern Munich players have quality and he would be a good fit, plus they were interested previously. I am sure if they need someone in midfield in the winter window, and were to knock on Bayern’s door, there’s a big chance.”
To make this work, Goretzka would likely have to accept at least a 50% pay cut. Bayern would also need to accept something in the €15-20M range, well below his Transfermarkt estimated value of €30M. Luckily, he joined Bayern on a free transfer back in 2018 so the club would still be coming out ahead from a financial standpoint if they can clear his salary off the books.
