Bayern Munich is currently in the midst of negotiating contracts and new deals for a handful of key players. Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies, and Joshua Kimmich are three of said players that are up for renewal in a period before the summer transfer window where the front office has made it clear they are ready to go all out for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz.
For Davies, the situation is a bit more complicated as only recent developments have signaled there is a possibility he might stay instead of leaving, but for Musiala and Kimmich, it is more about just fine-tuning the finances, fine print, and details of the contract offers. The pair of players’ names are synonymous with the brand and club of FC Bayern and both have the profiles to have massive futures with the club.
The Musiala negotiations have dominated the limelight in the news cycles, but board member for sport Max Eberl recently commented on Kimmich’s situation and explained how open the club has been with the player in letting him know how much they would like him to stay. His current contract with Bayern runs through June 2025, so without an extension before the end of this season, he could be going into the final year of his contract; a situation the club wants to avoid.
“I think we are very, very open with him. We’re telling him: We want to extend your contract. We’re saying that he should become the captain of FC Bayern when Manuel Neuer is no longer on the pitch. And we’re letting him know that he should become a face of our club. We have made that clear to him and we stand behind that,” Eberl explained on the Kimmich situation, speaking to Sport Bild (via @iMiaSanMia).
From Kimmich’s perspective, it has been voiced more than once that there is a feeling of lack of appreciation from the club for a multitude of different reasons. This has sparked speculation that he would not be open to a potential salary cut at all if that were to be one of the conditions in a contract extension offer from the club. He currently earns 19.5 million euros per year as the club’s third-highest earner, but the club will certainly need to find funds wherever they can to try to fund the Florian Wirt transfer from Leverkusen.
Photo by ANP via Getty Images
On the rumors of Kimmich not willing to take a pay cut for a new deal, Eberl reemphasized how open the club has been with the player throughout the whole process thus far. “As far as salary is concerned and what is being speculated in public, all I can say is: we are trying to extend Josh’s contract and will try to reach an agreement. That includes the sporting side, the perspective, but also the financial side. We want to reach an agreement with Josh on all three of these levels,” he explained.
By the sound of it, Kimmich knows how much the club wants to keep hold of him and hopes that is reflected in the offer that they eventually wind up giving him. There is still plenty of time for negotiations, but it is clear that Bayern sees him as one of the pillar players within the club and plan to keep it that way.
More Words after the 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain
After Bayern secure a much-needed 1-0 win over PSG in the Champions League thanks to a first half header from Kim Min-Jae, Eberl was again asked about the Kimmich situation and if there have been any status updates. Kimmich played the full 90 minutes in the winning effort and put in a typical, hard-fought, gritty performance characteristic of his playing style. It was the type of performance adjacent with being a true leader within the club even though he was not wearing the captain’s armband on the night.
When Eberl was asked about the Kimmich situation, he replied, “When Manu[el Neuer] and Thomas [Muller] retire, he should become the face of Bayern. We’re having very open, good discussions. Joshua knows that’s what we want. He has to decide whether he wants a new challenge or whether he wants to become a legend at Bayern (via @iMiaSanMia).”
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