The winter transfer window is set to be busy for Bayern Munich in terms of finding clubs for players that are not satisfied with playing time in the first-team squad. The German Champions may have to reportedly strike a deal with Real Betis with one of their young midfielders.
According to Diario de Sevilla, Real Betis is interested in signing Marc Roca from Bayern on a loan deal during the winter transfer window. The Spanish midfielder is destined to leave in January unless there is a significant injury crisis in the midfield department of the squad.
Roca has struggled to get playing time under Julian Nagelsmann this season. He has also been left out of the matchday squad on many occasions, which has led to more speculation about his long-term future at the club.
The Spaniard had a difficult debut season after completing a late move from Espanyol to Bavaria in summer 2020. Hansi Flick also found it difficult to give Roca an adequate amount of game time. He ended up getting only 517 minutes of action for Die Roten across all competitions. (Stats courtesy: Transfermarkt)
Roca spent the majority of the summer working hard on his fitness to make sure that he was completely ready for the new campaign. Unfortunately, a serious injury in the first week of pre-season ruled out Roca for weeks. He couldn’t get a chance to impress Nagelsmann during the pre-season friendly games.
The Spaniard returned to complete fitness at the start of September. Since recovering from a serious ankle injury, Roca is yet to get competitive playing time this season. In the eight games since his return to action, he has made it to the bench in two games and missed out on a place in the squad for the remaining six games.
After being left out of the squad for one of the Bundesliga games this season, Nagelsmann insisted that both Roca and Mickael Cuisance need to work harder to make his team selection difficult.
It is looking difficult for Roca to fulfill his potential at Die Roten. A loan move in January might help him to get his rhythm back, but his long-term future in Bavaria remains in doubt. Die Roten will benefit from a loan move for Roca. If he performs well during the second half of the season, then they may integrate him into the first team or get a good fee for him in the summer transfer window. Barring any bizarre turn of events, Roca will most likely play for another club in the second half of the season.