The upcoming winter window will be a quiet one for Bayern Munich when it comes to immediate additions to the squad. The Bavarian club is content with the current personnel and will focus on strengthening the squad in the summer. However, the Bavarian club may look to set up deals for the summer in January.
According to Sky Sports in Germany, Bayern is close to reaching a complete agreement with RB Leipzig midfielder Konrad Laimer for a free transfer in the summer. The Austrian midfielder will be free to talk with interested clubs in January since he has just over six months left on his current deal at Leipzig.
The report from Sky Sports insists that Laimer will sign a deal until 2027. This signing is a massive coup for Die Roten as Laimer was attracting from Premier League clubs such as Chelsea and Liverpool.
It will not be a big surprise if Die Roten announces a pre-contract agreement with Laimer in January. They have previously completed similar types of deals for Robert Lewandowski, Leon Goretzka, and Alexander Nubel in the past. An announcement will bring an end to speculation and allow Laimer to focus on the remainder of the season.
❗️X News #Laimer: He is on verge to join Bayern in summer! Verbal agreement in total but no medical yet. Signing in 2023. He will get a long-term contract. At least until 2027. Absolutely desired player! Versatile use (central/right), pressing machine,
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) November 28, 2022
mentality! @SkySportDE 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/AOOts2tr90
Bayern tried hard to sign Laimer from Leipzig last summer. The Bavarian club had three bids rejected for the Austrian midfielder. Leipzig was eager to not sell a key player to Die Roten even if it meant that he will be leaving the club on a free transfer. Bayern had agreed personal terms with Laimer in the summer, so it was just a matter of when rather than if for this transfer to take place.
Laimer is a versatile midfielder, so he will improve the depth in the midfield department of the squad. His arrival will allow Julian Nagelsmann to manage the workload of Joshua Kimmich since Laimer is adept at playing in the holding midfield role. Moreover, Laimer is very well accustomed to Nagelsmann’s philosophy after working with him at Leipzig for two years.
Signing Laimer is a smart move for Bayern to add more quality in the midfield, but it may impact the future of fringe players. Marcel Sabitzer and Ryan Gravenberch may struggle to get consistent playing time with Laimer’s arrival. It will be intriguing to see if any one of these two midfielders will force a move away from Bavaria in the summer.
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After completing the final details of Laimer’s transfer, Bayern is likely to focus on strengthening the attack in the summer. They have been heavily linked with Harry Kane, but there are several exciting attacking forwards that could be up for grabs in the summer.