It has been an eventful start to the week for Bayern Munich. Manuel Neuer was ruled out for weeks due to a knee injury, while Niklas Sule has reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund to join them on a free transfer in the summer.
Neuer’s injury is a setback in the short run, but Sule’s move to Dortmund is probably the most astonishing piece of news for the Bavarian faithful. Sule will become the second German defender to move to Dortmund from Bavaria in recent history. Mats Hummels was the last transfer to take place from Die Roten and Dortmund.
The defending Bundesliga champions had confirmed Sule’s decision to reject the contract offer on the table at the end of the winter transfer window. Meanwhile, Sule’s entourage had admitted that lack of appreciation from the club made sure that the defender was in no mood to negotiate a contract renewal.
Despite the way Sule’s contract renewal was handled, no one at the club would have expected him to sign for their closest rivals. Considering all transfer reports in the last 12 months, Sule was expected to either join a Premier League club or Spanish giant Barcelona.
Sule’s move to Dortmund does come as a surprise for Die Roten. However, Herbert Hainer has been puzzled by the sporting motive considered by Sule to complete this transfer. While talking to Bild on Tuesday, Hainer admitted that he expected Sule to leave Bundesliga in the summer.
"“He was already being discussed at Dortmund and there was speculation – in addition to Real Madrid, Manchester City, and a few others. But I hadn’t thought that it would be his first choice. It will be exciting to see him on the other side.”“I don’t know what salary Niklas Süle gets at Borussia Dortmund. I don’t think it’s a sporting climb.”"
The Bundesliga has been comprehensively dominated by Bayern in the last decade. No other club has come close to snatching the title from them, so Hainer is surprised by Sule’s decision to join Borussia Dortmund.
It does look like Sule was very upset with the timing of the contract renewal. The Bavarian club opened contract talks with Sule when he entered the final six months on his current contracts. Meanwhile, Rekordmeister moved swiftly to secure the future of Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, and Kingsley Coman.
Since Sule has reportedly agreed to the wage package at Dortmund that was similar to the one offered by Die Roten, it is clear that the German defender was frustrated with the way his renewal was handled in Bavaria.
Hainer did praise Sule’s talent in the same interview. He has backed the German defender to give his best in the next three months to achieve collective targets for the current campaign. A key lesson for Die Roten from this saga is to become much more efficient and proactive when it comes to contract negotiations. Losing players that are entering the peak of their careers for nothing is also a financially damaging situation for the club.