With just over a week left for the winter transfer window to end, Bayern Munich are still looking to strengthen the right-back position. The Bavarian club currently have Konrad Laimer playing in this role since Noussair Mazraoui is away with Morocco at the AFCON.
Bayern previously prioritized a loan move for Paris Saint-Germain’s Nordi Mukiele. After failing to find a breakthrough in talks with the French club, Die Roten shifted their attention towards Newcastle United’s Kieran Trippier. The Bavarian club had the first approach rejected by the Premier League. It does look like their second bid has also been rejected.
According to The Athletic, Newcastle United have rejected Bayern’s bid for Kieran Trippier on Wednesday. The offer from Die Roten was for a permanent move, and the fee offered was close to €15 million. Newcastle United continue to insist that Trippier is not for sale.
Bayern have verbally agreed personal terms with Trippier. It remains to be seen if Bayern will come back with another offer for the English defender. Newcastle United need to sell to buy this window in order to adhere to Premier League’s financial fair play rules.
Trippier has been a vital player for Newcastle United on and off the pitch. He has been a leader under Eddie Howe, so it is not surprising to see the English club resisting the transfer midway through the season. With Newcastle United struggling in the Premier League, they need to keep their best players to qualify for Europe next season.
Unless Trippier requests a transfer, Newcastle United will most likely remain stern on their stance of not selling him in January. Bayern will need some sort of assurances from the right-back before contemplating a third bid for him.
Bayern may have to go back to negotiations with PSG to sign Nordi Mukiele. It does look like a very chaotic transfer window for Die Roten, where they are sweating over deals that will help them achieve their short-term targets. They have managed to strengthen central defense by signing Eric Dier on a short-term deal after missing out on Genoa’s Radu Dragusin.
Former Bayern skipper Lothar Matthaus has heavily criticized Die Roten’s transfer policy during the winter transfer window. Matthaus believes that Bayern should look for younger players instead of going for players above 30. With a move looking unlikely for Trippier, it will be intriguing to see how Die Roten address the right-back position.