Bayern Munich intensify interest in Athletic Bilbao defender Unai Nunez
According to Spanish reports, Bayern Munich is seriously considering a move for Athletic Bilbao defender Unai Nunez.
Bayern Munich have been dealt with massive injury blows in the past fortnight. The Bundesliga champions lost Niklas Sule and Lucas Hernandez to long term injuries. Sule is expected to be out for six months, while Hernandez will return after the winter break.
These injuries might force Die Roten to look for a defender in January. The club was reluctant to sign a defender after Sule’s injury, but Hernandez’s injury might force them to rethink their transfer strategy.
Athletic Bilbao’s Unai Nunez is the center-defender that Die Roten is reportedly looking at to bolster their defensive options. The Spanish media have also started confirming the German club’s interest in the 22-year-old central defender.
Marca has come up with an interesting report regarding Die Roten’s interest in Nunez. The Spanish outlet reports that Bayern will consider a swap deal involving Nunez and Javi Martinez in January. Bilbao previously admitted interest in Martinez. The Spanish club remains interested in Martinez, so Bayern wants to propose a swap deal that will benefit all parties.
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AS meanwhile also confirms that the Bundesliga champions are serious about Nunez. This report says that Bayern is ready to activate Nunez’s €30 million release clause in January. Apart from Die Roten, Everton and Arsenal have also shown interest in the Spanish defender.
Signing Nunez will make sense for Bavarians as it will further increase the depth in the defensive area. Moreover, he can eventually be Jerome Boateng‘s replacement next summer. The German defender is coming toward the end of his career at Bayern. He was close to joining Juventus in summer, but the transfer eventually didn’t materialize.
Having said that, signing Nunez at the expense of Martinez will be a poor decision from Bayern. The Spanish midfielder is the only natural defensive midfielder in the current squad. His experience in central midfield will be key in big games later this season. It will be better for Bayern to allow him to leave next summer and sign a young defensive midfielder to replace him.
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Nunez’s arrival will also have a telling effect on Lukas Mai‘s future at Die Roten. The German defender recently signed a new contract with Bayern, and he looks ready to start playing for the senior team. The Bavarians will have to sort a loan transfer to give Mai regular playing time if Nunez joins in January.