The summer transfer window is set to witness a good amount of spending from Bayern Munich to reinforce the attack for next season. The Bavarian club has been forced to spend big money on forwards due to Robert Lewandowski’s desire to leave and join FC Barcelona in the next few months.
Even though various Bayern officials have insisted that Lewandowski will be playing in Germany next season, it is looking likely that the Polish striker has played his last game in the Bavarian colours. Moreover, Die Roten is also working on signings that could effectively replace Lewandowski.
VfB Stuttgart’s Sasa Kalajdzic has emerged as one of the two signings that Die Roten may make in the summer to offset the departure of Lewandowski. According to Sky Sports, the Austrian striker’s representatives were spotted at Sabner Strasse after the end of the Bundesliga campaign.
The signing of Kalajdzic will not be straightforward for the German Champions. According to Bild, Borussia Dortmund is also keen on signing the 24-year-old striker. Kalajdzic will get much more playing time at Dortmund since he is likely to be a second choice forward at Die Roten.
❗️News #Kalajdzic: It’s getting hot! His agent has arrived at Säbener Straße today at 5.12 pm. He met the bosses. It was the 2nd round of negotiations. 1st round on Tuesday. FC Bayern is pushing his transfer in summer. Nagelsmann wants him 100 %. @SkySportDE @Sky_Marc 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/dTrMfdMi5o
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) May 18, 2022
Bild has also reported that Die Roten has already held talks with the player to complete a potential transfer. The German media outlet insists that talks were not productive as Kalajdzic is not keen on being a backup striker, which is likely to be his role in Bavaria.
Dortmund is the strongest competitor of Bayern for the signing of Kalajdzic, but there has been significant interest from various top clubs in Europe. The Bavarian club will have to quickly reach an agreement with him or risk losing to Dortmund or another European club. The next few weeks will give clarity about Kalajdzic. Stuttgart is reportedly looking to get €25-30 million for the Austrian striker.
Die Roten is probably looking at Kalajdzic as a plan B in the number nine position. His big physical frame allows him to play as a target man. The current Bayern squad lacks such a profile, so it is not surprising to see them trying for the signing of Kalajdzic. However, his playing time will be significantly less if he is bought to play the role of plan B.
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Meanwhile, the key attacking signing for Die Roten in the summer is likely to be Sadio Mane. The Bavarian club is cautiously optimistic about this transfer as they hold talks with Mane’s representatives. Liverpool may have to cash in for Mane since his current contract expires in 2023. Recently, Mane also remained tight-lipped about his future. He will be commenting on his future after the Champions League final against Real Madrid on Saturday.