With just over a month left for the winter transfer window to open, Bayern Munich has been linked with several players in the last few days. Christoph Freund and Thomas Tuchel have already confirmed that Die Roten will be active in the winter transfer window. Freund has also revealed key areas they will be focussing on during January.
Signing a defender is crucial for Bayern in the winter transfer window. They only have three senior central defenders in the squad after Benjamin Pavard was not replaced in the summer. Kim Min-jae is set to miss several games in January since he will be playing for South Korea in the Asian Cup. With Matthijs de Ligt already on the treatment table, getting a central defender is a necessity for Die Roten.
Sky Sports in Germany had revealed Bayern’s interest in Manchester United defender Raphael Varane. The French defender has been discussed by the club hierarchy, but he is unlikely to be a financially feasible option for the Bavarian club in January.
According to SportBild, Varane is currently not an option for Bayern. The Bavarian club wants to sign a defender that will be in line with their long-term plans. Moreover, Varane also earns significant wages at Manchester United, which are unlikely to be offered by Die Roten.
The feedback from Bayern is that Raphaël Varane is not a serious option for the club. The Frenchman earns too high wages and is past his best. Bayern want to sign a defender, but want someone with more perspective with a view to the future [@altobelli13, @cfbayern] pic.twitter.com/A0cEAHBxxK
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) November 23, 2023
Along with financial reasons, Varane’s signing will not make sense from a sporting point of view. The former French international is a quality defender, but he consistently faces injury issues. Since he is 30, the injury problems may not subside, so he will not solve Die Roten’s problems in the heart of defense.
In an ideal scenario, Bayern should look to get a versatile defender. They need a defender who can play in the right-back position and provide cover in central defense. Pavard played this role to perfection, which makes his exit a major blow for Bayern.
Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu is also attracting interest from Die Roten. The 25-year-old Japanese defender can play in multiple defensive positions, which makes him a much smarter signing than Varane. However, Arsenal are not looking to sell the Japanese defender in the winter transfer window.
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Nevertheless, the permanent signings in the winter transfer window shouldn’t be short-term options for Bayern. They need to get players that can serve them in the long run. Stop-gap signings will only make sense if they are loan deals, which will help Die Roten buy some time to get priority targets in the summer.