Bayern Munich call off pursuit of Kieran Trippier

The winter transfer window continues to be a struggle for Bayern Munich when it comes to addressing the defense. The Bavarian club is still looking to sign a right-back since Noussair Mazraoui is with Morocco for the AFCON. However, they have failed to find a breakthrough in negotiations for their two top targets for this position.

After seeing the second bid rejected for Kieran Trippier on Tuesday, Sky Sports in Germany is reporting that Bayern have called off their plans to sign the English defender. Newcastle United had rejected a permanent offer worth €15 million from Bayern for Trippier.

Bayern had turned their attention towards Trippier last week. Since Newcastle United needed to sell before signing new players, it looked like a straightforward deal. The Bavarian club had a first approach rejected last week before going back with a second bid on Tuesday.

Ahead of the game against Union Berlin, Bayern’s sporting director, Christoph Freund, also confirmed the club’s decision to end the pursuit of Trippier. Newcastle United have been adamant that Trippier is not for sale in January despite Rekordmeister reaching a verbal agreement over personal terms.

Talksport in the UK is reporting that Bayern balked at the transfer demands from Newcastle United. The English club wanted at least £20 million to consider the departure of Trippier. Moreover, Eddie Howe was eager to keep Trippier in the squad as they look to salvage the season by qualifying for Europe.

It remains to be seen if Bayern will look for another option in the transfer market to strengthen the right-back position. They were locked in negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain to sign Nordi Mukiele on a loan deal. However, there has been no breakthrough in talks with the French club, which forced Bayern to look at other options.

Sky Sports in Germany are reporting that Mukiele’s move to Bayern is not completely off. There could be developments late in the window. However, there is also a good possibility that Bayern will end up not signing a right-back in January. The Bavarian club does not want to spend heavily right now as they want to go for long-term targets in the summer.

In case a new right-back doesn’t arrive before next week’s deadline day, Tuchel will have to rely on Konrad Laimer and Mazraoui to share the duties of this role for the rest of the season. Joshua Kimmich can also play in this position if needed.