The defensive overhaul at Bayern Munich began in 2019 with the departure of Mats Hummels. Die Roten signed Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard for an excess of €100 million after the departure of Hummels. The German Champions may have to make a similar decision this year about Niklas Sule.
According to AZ, numerous clubs are showing great interest in Niklas Sule. Chelsea is first in the line to show concrete interest in the German defender. Previously, reports have suggested that Thomas Tuchel is eager to sign one of Boateng, Sule, and Alaba to bolster his defensive options at Chelsea.
Kicker (via One Football) has also been reporting this week that Sule is fighting for his future in Bavaria. The rest of the campaign is going to be decisive regarding the 25-year-old defender’s future at the club. In Germany, it has been previously reported that Die Roten is also having doubts about handing a new contract to Sule due to his fitness issues.
Sule has been a consistent player for Die Roten ever since joining from Hoffenheim in 2017. He quickly established himself as the first-choice center-back at the club. He was eager to become the leader at the back last season when Hummels left and Boateng was on the fringes of the first team.
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However, a cruciate knee ligament injury completely destroyed Sule’s plans. Since coming back from such a serious injury, Sule has not looked at his best. Moreover, the outstanding performances from Boateng and David Alaba have meant that he is no longer the first choice center-back at the club.
The competition for places in the first team will be even fierce next season despite the departure of Alaba and possible exit for Boateng. Dayot Upamecano will arrive from RB Leipzig for a fee worth €42.5 million, while Nianzou Kouassi is also expected to get better once he starts getting more playing time. Hernandez will be playing in the center-back position as he will be the only left-footed central defender in the squad after Alaba’s departure.
In such a scenario, Sule might think about looking for a move away from the game to play consistently during peak years of his career. Meanwhile, Bayern also has to make a decision one way or the other since there is only one year left on Sule’s contract from the end of the current campaign.
Die Roten needs to improve midfield and might also want a wide player to replace Douglas Costa next summer. Along with Corentin Tolisso, Sule can help in raising a considerable amount of funds for signing new players. Sule can be well replaced in the squad with Chris Richards or Lukas Mai as both players have immense potential. The next few months could see developments surrounding the future of Sule.