Bayern Munich have decided to take a tough stance after VfB Stuttgart showed no desire to come to the table to negotiate for a transfer of Nick Woltemade.
After having two bids rejected by Stuttgart, AZ is reporting that Bayern Munich has decided not to submit the third bid for U21 European Championship top goalscorer Nick Woltemade. Bayern has raised the ante of the second offer to around €55 million, a potential record sale in Stuttgart's history. Yet, the reigning DFB Pokal winner remained firm with their stance of not selling Woltemade. Internally, Stuttgart will continue to reject the third bid even if the package is increased to €60 million. For that reason, Bayern's board has withdrawn from negotiations for the time being.
As things stand, Woltemade will return to Stuttgart's summer preparation next week. However, the interests between Bayern Munich and Nick Woltemade's camp for a future transfer are mutual. The 23-year-old striker will remain amongst the club's priorities. He is also keen to join Bayern and looks forward to an agreement between the two clubs.
Bayern Munich views Nick Woltemade as a long-term successor to Harry Kane up front. The English talisman will turn 32 on July 28. He is still going very strong and will likely have around five more years in the book. Woltemade and Kane share a lot of resemblances. Both are strikers who adapt to play away from the goal and be vessels to progress the ball, a type of deep-lying forward. Kane's mentorship can amplify Woltemade's development as the German striker's skillset is still quite raw. He still lacks the killer passes and decision-making around the box to make himself a complete striker. Woltemade is also quite poor in the air despite his lanky frame. However, all of them can be improved with time and the correct predecessor.
The deal may be revisited at a later stage of the summer window or in the winter. If Stuttgart does not sway from the lucrative financial offer this year, the Woltemade subject should be brought up again next summer. His current contract runs until 2028.
Bayern turns full-on focus on Luis Diaz
With Woltemade's transfer out of mind, Bayern Munich will shift all emphasis onto the deal to bring Luis Diaz to the Allianz Arena. With Barcelona signaling their backing down from this deal by signing Marcus Rashford on loan, Bayern is the current frontrunner for the signature of the Colombian winger.
Since Bayern had a bid worth €67.5 million rejected for Diaz, it will take a significantly better offer to convince Liverpool to sanction a departure.