As Max Eberl recently put it, Bayern Munich is entering “crunch time” for the contract negotiations for Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies, and Joshua Kimmich. The trio of key Bayern players all have current contracts that are set to expire this summer and can all technically talk to other clubs and even sign pre-contracts now that the first of the month has passed.
For at least Musiala and Davies, all signs are pointing to eventual extensions, but the case has not quite been as clear cut for Kimmich. Keeping a hold of all three players is integral for the club’s future, especially for a player in Kimmich that would be the odds-on favorite to replace Manuel Neuer as captain when it is decided he is no longer the person to be wearing the armband. Former Bayern and Germany midfielder Lothar Matthäus has even suggested recently that Bayern could use the captaincy for next season as an added incentive to get Kimmich to agree to a new, long-term deal in addition to not having to take a salary cut.
Sentiments aside, the clock is ticking for Eberl, Christoph Freund, and the rest of the club. The longer Kimmich, or any of the other two players, goes without getting their contracts sorted out, the more pressure there will be and the more there will be unnecessary distractions off the pitch.
For the case of Kimmich, former Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn has suggested a bit of a hardline approach, akin to something Uli Hoeneß would possibly be in support of with his rather blunt and outspoken nature. Kahn feels that Bayern should set a hard deadline for the Kimmich situation to help try to expedite the process. “Joshua is in the last year of his contract and a free agent at the end of the season. That means he can keep all his options open when it comes to his future. If Kimmich doesn’t make a decision soon, the club has to be ready to show strength at some point and set a deadline. If this deadline is exceeded, the offer can be withdrawn and they can look for someone else or rely on the players in the current squad,” he recently explained to Sport Bild (via @iMiaSanMia).
This brazen, club-first approach to Kimmich’s contract situation could help draw clear lines between the player and the club, and there could be no excuses one way or the other — either he agrees to stay, or doesn’t and the club will offload him in the summer. It is a two-way street, but the figurative payoff for Kimmich accepting a deadline and subsequently accepting a new deal could set a massive precedent for the club and how it handles its transfer business moving forward. No one player is ever more important than the club.
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