The transfer window takes the central stage as the season came to an end last weekend with the Champions League final. Bayern Munich has already started working on deals to strengthen the squad after suffering a quarter-final exit in the European competition. It is set to be a busy window for Thomas Tuchel and Die Roten.
Adding more quality in the midfield is one of the priorities for Bayern this summer. They have already completed a deal for Konrad Laimer. The Austrian midfielder completed a move to Bavaria on Friday. He joins Die Roten on a free transfer after rejecting the chance to extend his contract at RB Leipzig.
Along with Laimer, Bayern wants to sign a defensive midfielder this summer. It does look like they are set to miss out on the top target for this position. According to Bild, Bayern has decided against making an offer for West Ham United’s Declan Rice.
Sky Sports in Germany has also confirmed that Bayern’s board decided in today’s meeting to abandon the pursuit of signing Rice. The English midfielder is expected to stay in the Premier League and move to Arsenal. Manchester United has also been heavily linked with a move for Rice.
News #Rice: NO transfer! Bayern has decided today not to submit an offer after all - confirmed ✅
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) June 13, 2023
➡️ It was the clear trend for days and as reported on Friday, because Rice became more and more expensive.
He’s on verge to join @Arsenal now! First call BILD. @SkySportDE 🏴 pic.twitter.com/AXLFKWCnPa
Thomas Tuchel was eager to bring Rice to Bayern. He tried to sign Rice during his time at Chelsea, but a transfer never materialized. The English midfielder probably prefers staying in the Premier League, so it was always a complicated deal to pull off for Bayern.
Moreover, The Guardian has reported that Arsenal may end up paying £100 million for Rice. Die Roten would have found it difficult to spend this kind of fee on a midfielder when they need reinforcements in the attack. The Bavarian club will likely look at other midfielders for the number six position.
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After missing out on Rice, Sky Sports in Germany has reported that Die Roten will first focus on getting a new number nine before looking at other midfield options. Bayern is looking to sign a striker that can fill the void left by Robert Lewandowski in the last summer transfer window.
Bayern’s interest in several strikers will likely dominate the next few weeks. It does look like Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani are the top two targets for Rekordmeister in the number nine role. The holding midfield position is likely to be addressed later in the window.