After the end of Hinrunde a week ago, there has been a lot of transfer speculation related to Bayern Munich. The German Champions have been linked with numerous players as the winter transfer window is set to open by the end of this week.
Midway through last week, TNT Sports in Brazil reported that Die Roten is expected to complete the signing of Raphinha from Leeds United in the next transfer window for €50 million. It remains to be seen if the Brazilian outlet was referring to the winter or summer window.
After claims from Brazil, outlets in Germany and England squashed the rumours. There has been next to nothing being reported about this transfer in Germany throughout this season. Moreover, the chiefs at Bayern have always suggested that there will be no big signings during the winter window.
Nevertheless, the idea of seeing Raphinha in the Bayern shirt does make a lot of sense. The Brazilian winger has been a quality player for Leeds ever since arriving from Stade Rennais in 2020. He is the exact type of profile Die Roten will need if Kingsley Coman is sold next summer after failing to sign a new contract.
During his debut season in the Premier League, Raphinha managed to score six goals and bag nine assists in 30 appearances. Apart from his goals, Raphinha provides exactly what Coman offers as a winger. The Brazilian holds width on either flank, and he has bags of trickery to beat the full-back for creating chances for his teammates. (Stats courtesy: Transfermarkt)
Even though Leeds has struggled this season, Raphinha is quietly having a good season. The Brazilian winger has scored eight goals and assisted one goal in 16 Premier League appearances this season. With the peak years ahead of him, Raphinha is going to get better with time.
Coman has been a terrific player for Rekordmeister in the past two years. Despite his immense quality, it will not make sense for the Bavarian club to allow him to run down his deal that expires in 2023. The financial losses due to the pandemic have made sure that Rekordmeister cannot lose young players on free transfers.
The two parties have recently opened the dialogue for a contract renewal. If things are not sorted by the end of the season, Die Roten should look to get a good fee for Coman and then utilise it to get Raphinha. It will make sense for all parties and once again show that Die Roten has good succession plans placed for key players in the squad.