The hierarchy at Bayern Munich has contract talks to conclude with several players in the squad during the season. Dayot Upamecano is probably the most key player who has entered the final year of his contract at Die Roten.
The French defender has already held talks with Bayern, but the negotiations have reportedly hit an impasse due to a disagreement over salary demands. However, Die Roten remain keen on keeping Upamecano beyond this season, and further talks with the defender’s representatives will take place.
Upamecano has also consistently insisted that he is happy in Munich and would like to extend his contract. In an ideal scenario, both parties will find a middle ground before January, and a new deal will be agreed upon. Until that happens, other clubs will sound out to Upamecano’s representatives to explore a free transfer.
According to SportBild (via iMiaSanMia), Liverpool are showing interest in Upamecano. The Merseyside club wanted to sign a senior central defender in the summer but failed to get the deal over the line for Marc Guehi.
Liverpool are also facing a contract situation with Ibrahima Konate. He has also entered the final year of his contract with Real Madrid heavily linked with a free transfer. If contract talks continue to drag on between Upamecano and Bayern, other big clubs will also join Liverpool in the race to sign him next summer.
The interested clubs can agree on a pre-contract with Upamecano in January. Die Roten should look to resolve the contract talks before the start of the winter transfer window. The winter break provides them with the ideal opportunity to seal the new deal.
Upamecano is crucial player for Vincent Kompany
The last 15 months have shown that Upamecano is Kompany’s first-choice central defender. The French international has repaid the faith of Kompany with consistent performances. It will be a travesty for Kompany if Bayern fails to keep Upamecano beyond this season.
Max Eberl and Christoph Freund have a good record of completing contract talks with key players in the last 12 months. They managed to agree long-term deals with Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, and Alphonso Davies in the first quarter of 2025. The only blemish on their record is the failure to agree on a new contract with Leroy Sane. The German forward left in the summer to join Galatasaray on a free transfer.
The Bavarian faithful will hope Eberl and Freund will get the job done in the contract talks with Upamecano. Apart from the French defender, Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry have also entered the final year of their contracts. Manuel Neuer has been signing one-year deals over the last few seasons, so his future will also be under review at the halfway stage of the season.