The developments at Sabner Strasse in the past few weeks have made sure that Bayern Munich may have to sign at least one central defender this summer. Lucas Hernandez has told the club chiefs about his desire to join Paris Saint-Germain, while Benjamin Pavard has also decided against signing a new deal.
Several reports in Italy and Germany have confirmed that Napoli’s Kim Min-jae has emerged as the top target in defense for Bayern. However, the South Korean defender is not the only viable option for Die Roten in the current market.
According to Sky Sports in Germany earlier this week, Villarreal’s Pau Torres has been offered to Bayern this summer. The Spanish defender was on the shortlist when Julian Nagelsmann was the head coach of the first team. Kim Min-jae is the top target as of now, but Torres remains an option for Die Roten. Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg has also insisted that Die Roten may end up signing both since Torres adds the option of left-footed center-back in the squad.
Sport1’s Kerry Hau has also reported that Bayern has been in contact with representatives of Torres. The Spanish defender is open to a move to Bavaria. Die Roten will face competition from Aston Villa and Juventus for the signing of Torres. TZ has also confirmed that Torres is on the shortlist of center-backs for Bayern this summer.
Bayern consider having a left-footed centre-back as an option in the backline to be extremely important, which will be lacking if Lucas Hernández ends up leaving, hence the interest in Pau Torres [@Plettigoal] https://t.co/Dh3uBmel3w pic.twitter.com/R3Ahv6k5lq
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) June 16, 2023
The Spanish defender currently has one year left on his contract, so Die Roten can get him for a reasonable fee. Torres will be able to take the next step in his career by sealing a move to Bayern as he enters the peak years of his career.
The 26-year-old defender is comfortable on the ball. He is adept at playing in teams that dominate possession and play out from the back. Torres also has a good eye for long passes. The Spaniard is slightly weaker in the air, but he can complement all of the center-backs in the current squad at Bayern with his strengths.
With the departure of Pavard and Hernandez, Bayern will have only two senior options in central defense- Matthijs de Ligt and Dayot Upamecano. It will not be a big surprise if Die Roten ends up signing both Kim Min-jae and Torres from the funds raised from the departures of Pavard and Hernandez. The Bavarian club is also looking to sign Kyle Walker to add more depth in the right-back position after the departure of Pavard.
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Meanwhile, Bayern has also secured the future of Tarek Buchmann. The 17-year-old central defender is rated highly at Die Roten. He will be training with the first team next season after signing a three-year deal. Buchmann is one to watch out for Bayern in the future.