Bayern Munich endured a defensive crisis last season after not signing a replacement for Benjamin Pavard. The Bavarian club signed Eric Dier in January to address this problem. Before moving for Dier, Bayern also weighed up a move to sign Dante from Nice.
According to TZ, Bayern considered bringing Dante back to Bavaria in January. The Brazilian defender has been playing for Nice since 2016. Despite turning 40 last season, Dante is a crucial part of the first-team squad at Nice.
Dante spent time at Bayern between 2012 and 2015. He was part of the squad that won treble under Jupp Heynckes. The Brazilian defender is playing regularly at the top level, making 35 appearances for Nice last season. He is also accustomed to the Bundesliga after playing for Bayern, Wolfsburg, and Borussia Monchengladbach in the past. The Brazilian would have emerged as an option for Die Roten due to the aforementioned factors.
Despite considering a move for Dante, Bayern made more concrete efforts to sign younger defenders. They had a bid accepted by Genoa for Radu Drăgușin, but the Romanian defender opted for a move to Tottenham Hotspur. Die Roten eventually agreed on a deal with Spurs for Eric Dier.
The English defender hit the ground running for Bayern by starting games regularly under Thomas Tuchel during the second half of the last season. Dier formed a good partnership with Matthijs de Ligt in the heart of defense. The 30-year-old center-back’s consistent playing time activated a clause to extend his contract at Bayern until 2025.
Bayern are settled on center-back pairing for this season
Despite Dier playing regularly for Die Roten during Ruckrunde last season, he has struggled to get game time under Vincent Kompany. The Belgian coach has identified Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano as the first-choice center-back partnership for this season.
Bayern reshuffled their center-back options in the summer. They completed a surprise deal to sign Hiroki Ito from VfB Stuttgart at the start of the summer transfer window. Despite being Bayern’s most consistent center-back over the last two seasons, Matthijs de Ligt was sold to Manchester United. The Dutch defender played regularly for Die Roten during Ruckrunde last season, but his wages and interest from Manchester United made him an ideal candidate for sale.
Upamecano and Kim Min-jae have enjoyed a decent start to the season. Kompany will have more options in central defense when Ito returns to training next month. The Bavarian club will look to add a fourth center-back next summer when Jonathan Tah will be available on a free transfer. Die Roten tried to sign Tah in the summer but couldn’t agree a fee with Bayer Leverkusen.