Bayern Munich close to completing deal for Raphael Guerreiro

The transfer plans for summer are getting implemented at Bayern Munich after last week’s annual general meeting. Die Roten has a lot of work to do in several areas of the squad after a disappointing season. The Bavarian club has taken crucial steps in the last few days to complete the second signing of the summer.

According to Sky Sports in Germany and Fabrizio Romano, Bayern has reached an agreement with Raphael Guerreiro for a summer transfer. The Portuguese full-back has agreed a three-year deal with Die Roten after leaving Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer at the end of the season. The Bavarian club has managed to beat competition from Atletico Madrid, OGC Nice, and Inter Milan to sign Guerreiro.

Guerreiro is expected to arrive at Sabner Strasse next week to undergo medical and put the final touches to the transfer. Die Roten continued talks with his agents in the last few days after Hasan Salihamidzic had laid the groundwork for the deal before the end of the season.

It is a shrewd move for Die Roten, as Guerreiro provides quality depth in the left-back position. He provided 12 assists in the Bundesliga last season, so there is going to be a great competition between Alphonso Davies and Guerreiro for a place in the starting XI.

Guerreiro also enjoyed a very good spell at Dortmund under Thomas Tuchel in the past. He will need next to no time to settle in Munich due to the presence of Tuchel. Moreover, the 29-year-old full-back also has seven years of Bundesliga experience under his belt. There is likely to be a smooth transition for Guerreiro from Dortmund to Munich next season.

Along with providing quality in the left-back role, Guerreiro will provide Tuchel good amount of tactical flexibility with his versatility. The Portuguese defender can operate in midfield and left flank at a good level. He can also be used in the left wing-back position if Tuchel decides to deploy a back three in certain games next season.

The signing of Raphael Guerreiro effectively ends Joao Cancelo’s chances of joining Die Roten in the summer. Bayern had decided against taking up the option of signing Cancelo permanently from Manchester City for €70 million after his six-month loan spell. Few reports in Germany suggested that Rekordmeister may look to sign him if Man City significantly reduced the transfer fee. It does look like Bayern didn’t want to wait long. They have secured Cancelo’s replacement by signing Guerreiro on a free transfer.

Bayern needed to sign a left-back since the future of Lucas Hernandez is also uncertain. The French defender has 12 months left on his deal, and he is leaning towards a move to Paris Saint-Germain over signing a new deal at Die Roten. Along with playing in central defense, Hernandez also provided cover in the left-back position. Die Roten has sorted the depth and quality in the left-back area by signing Guerreiro.