Bayern Munich want to sign one more central defender before the end of the transfer window. Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah is the primary target for Bayern to strengthen the defense. It does look like they have found a breakthrough in negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen.
According to Kicker, Bayern have reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen for Tah. The Bavarian club will pay a fee worth a fixed €25 million and €5 million in add-ons. Sky Sports in Germany has also confirmed the fee agreed between Die Roten and Bayer Leverkusen.
Bayern have already agreed personal terms with Tah, but the transfer will only go through when Matthijs de Ligt leaves the club. The Dutch defender is not part of Bayern’s plans for next season. He has already given the blessing to a move to Manchester United, but Die Roten are yet to agree a fee with the Premier League club.
The Bavarian club wants to part ways with De Ligt since he is one of the big earners in the squad. Moreover, Vincent Kompany reportedly has other center-backs in the squad ahead of De Ligt in the pecking order. Manchester United had one combined bid rejected for De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
🚨🔴 It’s €25m + €5m between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bayern for Jonathan #Tah - as revealed in our show and now confirmed as per Stephan von Nocks ✔️
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) August 6, 2024
As soon as Matthijs de Ligt will join Manchester United, Bayern will finalize the deal with Tah. Verbal agreement is done.… https://t.co/7UevvIV1uM
Bayern may have to soften their stance on asking price for De Ligt
Manchester United are interested in signing a new center-back sooner rather than later since Leny Yoro suffered a serious injury during the pre-season friendly against Arsenal. The Red Devils do not want to meet Bayern’s asking price of €50 million plus bonuses for De Ligt.
Bayern may have to soften their stance regarding the asking price for De Ligt to get this deal over the line. They have to find a middle ground with Manchester United regarding the transfer fee for the Dutch defender, which will benefit all parties.
Apart from needing squad space to sign Tah, Bayern also need funds to sign Désiré Doué from Rennes. The departures of De Ligt and Mazraoui will help Bayern to complete their summer transfer business and balance the books. With the Bundesliga campaign three weeks away, a quick resolution over incomings and outgoings will be the desirable outcome for Kompany.