The winter transfer window has seen Bayern Munich working on new deals for key players in the squad. The German champions rarely make a big signing in January since getting prime transfer targets midway through the season is very difficult. Rekordmeister is already planning for the future as contract talks will give them a good idea about summer transfers.
The defending Bundesliga champions managed to resolve a tricky negotiation this month as they convinced Kingsley Coman to sign a new long-term deal. The Bavarian club seems to be fighting a lost cause when it comes to Niklas Sule’s contract renewal.
Niklas Sule has entered the final five months of his current deal at Die Roten. He will not be leaving the club in January, but his representatives can start listening to offers from other clubs. Julian Nagelsmann will be disappointed with this departure since he was reportedly pushing for Sule to stay in Bavaria.
Before the victory against Hertha Berlin on Sunday, club president Herbert Hainer gave an update regarding Sule’s new deal. While talking to Sky Sports, Hainer revealed that an offer has been made to Sule and there is a definite time period for that offer to remain active.
"“We made an offer for Niklas Süle. Now it’s up to him to accept or reject it. Of course, it has to be within a certain period of time, because then we have to position ourselves accordingly.”"
After the comments from Hainer on Sunday, things have moved quickly in the German media. SportBild’s Christian Falk is reporting that Sule has been surprised by Hainer’s comments as he had already rejected the offer. He further adds that Sule has decided to leave Bavaria in the summer.
Along with Falk, various other German media outlet has been reporting on Monday that Niklas Sule has rejected the contract offer. The German international is free to negotiate with interested clubs for a pre-contract with the likes of Chelsea and Barcelona reportedly keen to bring him on board.
The defending Bundesliga Champions will have to explore the transfer market to sign a replacement for Niklas Sule. Chelsea’s Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger may also end up becoming free agents in the summer. Both players are subject to interest from Die Roten, so it will be interesting to see if they make their move now after Sule has made his intentions clear.
The Bavarian club is also interested in Borussia Monchengladbach’s Denis Zakaria. The versatile midfielder can also play as center-back, so he can also become a solution for Sule’s departure. Zakaria will also become a free agent in the summer. The next couple of months will give a clear picture of Die Roten’s plans to replace Sule.