Bayern Munich had identified Bundesliga players to strengthen the squad last summer. They had parted ways with Thomas Müller, while Leroy Sane had decided against signing a new deal. Kingsley Coman also sealed a move to Al-Nassr on a permanent deal. With several senior departures in the attack, Bayern identified two Bundesliga stars to strengthen the attack.
They had identified Florian Wirtz as their primary summer transfer target. However, the German attacking midfielder was not convinced by the project at Bayern. He eventually agreed to a move to Liverpool.
After losing out on Wirtz, Bayern turned their attention to other wingers in Europe, but couldn’t get deals over the line for different reasons. They eventually signed Luis Diaz from Liverpool at the end of July.
For the second forward, Bayern wanted to sign Nick Woltemade from VfB Stuttgart. The record Bundesliga champions had three bids rejected for Woltemade. Stuttgart closed the door for Woltemade’s move to Bayern before the DFL Supercup clash between the two sides.
However, Stuttgart ended up selling Woltemade to Newcastle United late in the summer for €90 million. While talking to BR Sport (via Independent), Karl-Heinz Rummenigge insisted that Bayern had no intention to meet Stuttgart’s demands. He also congratulated Stuttgart for finding a club to pay such a hefty fee for the German forward.
"I can only congratulate those in Stuttgart for finding – I'll use quotation marks here – an idiot who paid that much money. Because we certainly wouldn't have done that in Munich."Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
Nick Woltemade had agreed on personal terms with Bayern. He had his heart set on a move to Munich. His representatives were annoyed when Stuttgart rejected several bids from Bayern. After failing to secure a move to Bayern, Newcastle United convinced Woltemade to make a move to the Premier League.
Bayern also ended up paying exorbitant fees
Rummenigge’s comments are understandable since Woltemade had just one solid season at Stuttgart. However, Bayern also ended up paying over the odds to sign Diaz. They paid a fee in excess of €70 million for 28-year-old Colombian forward.
The record Bundesliga champions also paid a loan fee worth €16.5 million for Nicolas Jackson. Bayern chiefs should certainly aim to get better in terms of concluding deals next summer to avoid overpaying for players.
The only saving grace for Bayern is that Diaz has hit the ground running. If he continues to excel for Die Roten, there will be no questions asked about his transfer fee. Regarding Jackson, Bayern will have a decision to make next summer if they want to sign him on a permanent deal.