Bayern Munich kicked off their campaign against VfB Stuttgart on Saturday. The Bundesliga champions faced Stuttgart in the DFL Supercup. Along with the silverware on the line, there was a transfer narrative building between the two sides during this summer.
Nick Woltemade has emerged as one of the key targets for Bayern to strengthen the attack. The young German striker has given a preference to Bayern over other clubs such as Napoli and Chelsea. However, VfB Stuttgart had rejected two bids from Bayern in July.
The Bavarian club halted their pursuit of Woltemade and shifted attention to bringing Luis Diaz from Liverpool. Since Kingsley Coman left Bayern this week, Die Roten looked to reopen talks with Stuttgart to explore a move for Woltemade.
The Bundesliga champions made a third bid for the German striker this week, but Stuttgart quickly rejected the offer as it was below their valuation of €75 million. Bayern have no plans to meet Stuttgart’s valuation for Woltemade.
Stuttgart had insisted that any transfer needs to happen before the DFL Supercup. Woltemade was in the starting XI against Bayern on Saturday evening. During the buildup to the game, Stuttgart CEO Alexander Wehrle told Sky Sports that Woltemade will not leave the club this summer.
"We already clarified it with Bayern this week. It's over. Nick Woltemade will play for VfB Stuttgart this season, and FC Bayern Munich knows that too. The topic is closed."Stuttgart CEO Alexander Wehrle
Woltemade is dissatisfied with the manner in which negotiations have been conducted between the two clubs. His agent has also expressed disappointment about Stuttgart’s high valuation despite having a gentleman’s agreement to leave at a slightly lower fee. It will be intriguing to see if Bayern return for Woltemade next summer.
Bayern open talks with Chelsea for Christopher Nkunku
After suffering disappointment in their talks with Stuttgart for Woltemade, Bayern are looking at other players in the market to strengthen the attack. Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku is the next player on the list for Bayern.
The Bundesliga champions have opened talks with Chelsea for a deal for Nkunku. The Bavarian club wants to sign Nkunku on loan, but Chelsea prefers a permanent transfer. Personal terms will not be a challenge since Nkunku is open to joining Bayern. Rekordmeister had explored a move for Nkunku in January, but Chelsea wanted an exorbitant fee for him in the winter.
From Woltemade’s perspective, he should look to get past the disappointment this summer and focus on taking his game to the next level this season. Bayern will definitely come back for him if he continues to improve at Stuttgart.