The last couple of weeks have seen Bayern Munich linked with several wingers as they miss out on Wirtz. The German forward has his heart set on a move to Liverpool. Die Roten have shown interest in one Liverpool forward to strengthen the attack this summer.
Cody Gakpo has emerged as a potential option for Bayern to add more quality in the wide areas. The Dutch forward is not actively looking to leave Liverpool this summer, but he could be available if Bayern ends up paying a fee closer to €60 million.
Gakpo recently won the Premier League title with the Merseyside club. He has enjoyed a good run of form under Arne Slot. Even though he is not a first-choice winger under Slot, Gakpo got adequate game time this campaign, and he had 18 goals and seven assists to his name across all competitions.
The Dutch winger has been at the receiving end of glowing words from former Bayern midfielder Mark van Bommel this week. While talking to Bild, van Bommel insisted that Gakpo can certainly succeed at Die Roten as several Dutch players have done in the past.
"Cody is doing very well for Liverpool and also for our national team. He’s a very fast winger who performs brilliantly on his own. What’s special is that he’s also a very good finisher. He’s a real goal threat. In addition to his footballing qualities, Gakpo is Dutch – and Dutch players have always been good at Bayern"Mark van Bommel on Cody Gakpo
With the arrival of Wirtz, maybe Liverpool will look to cash in on their current forwards. The futures of Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez are looking uncertain, but Gakpo has several years left on his current deal. If Bayern manage to convince Gakpo about the project in Munich, they can certainly test Liverpool’s resolve.
Bayern in no rush to sign a forward
The Bundesliga champions are in no rush to sign a forward as they are well-stacked in this position for the Club World Cup. Die Roten are looking at several options before making a concrete move. They are expected to complete a deal for a winger later in the window.
Apart from Gakpo, Bayern have also been linked with Premier League forwards- Kaoro Mitoma (Brighton) and Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace). The Bavarian club is also keeping a close eye on the situation of Jamie Gittens (Borussia Dortmund), Rafael Leao (AC Milan), and Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao).
Bayern had to focus on immediate additions in central defense before attack ahead of this month’s Club World Cup. They have managed to add quality to the defense by signing Jonathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen on a free transfer. The Bavarian club is currently negotiating with Leverkusen to get Tah released from his contract before June 30 so that he can take part in the Club World Cup.