It has been a month of ups and downs for Bayern Munich when it comes to contract renewals. The defending Bundesliga champions managed to extend the contract of Kingsley Coman after reaching an impasse last summer. However, the Bavarian club faced disappointment in negotiations with Niklas Sule.
Bayern President Oliver Kahn confirmed on Wednesday that Sule had rejected the club’s contract offer. The German defender is set to leave Bavarian on a free transfer in the summer window. Rekordmeister had opened contract talks with Sule before the winter break after deliberating over a new deal during the last two seasons.
According to TZ, Die Roten refused to meet the wage demands of Sule. The German international was looking at wages worth €17 million/year, but Rekordmeister was only ready to go up to €10 million/year. Eventually, Sule decided to reject the offer and look for a new adventure in the summer.
The wages demanded by Sule were in line with the ones offered by the club to players such as Coman, Joshua Kimmich, and Leon Goretzka in the past few months. The German defender was surely going to ask for a similar salary after becoming a key player under Julian Nagelsmann during Hinrunde.
This is not the first time Die Roten is losing a quality player after refusing to meet their salary demands. David Alaba left Bavaria on a free transfer last summer to join Real Madrid after Rekordmeister withdrew their contract midway through last season. Toni Kroos also left for Los Blancos in 2014 after the Bavarian club decided to not match his wage demands.
Bayern cannot compete with state-backed clubs when it comes to paying big wages and transfer fees. The German club has always done efficient business when it comes to contract renewals and transfers. It is not a big surprise to see them remaining firm on their contract offer.
Sule will be a massive loss for Rekordmeister since he was getting back to his best under Nagelsmann. Moreover, the German defender is set to get better as he enters the peak years of his career. The German defender will surely attract interest from multiple top clubs in the summer.
Die Roten will be looking to bolster the defense in the summer by finding a replacement for Sule. The Bavarian club can also replace him by moving Benjamin Pavard in the defense and signing a new first-choice right-back. The next couple of months will give a good idea about Die Roten’s plans for the summer.