Euro giants will let player join Crystal Palace or Southampton for just £13m

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Bayern Munich will sell Chris Richards for around £13 million with Crystal Palace and Southampton hoping to bring the USA international to the Premier League, as reported by Sport1. 

On Friday afternoon, Marc Roca will undergo his medical as the former Spain U21 star closes in on a move to Leeds United.  

And Roca could soon be joined on English shores by another talented youngster who, thanks to a throng of elite-level talent ahead of him in the Allianz Arena pecking order, may be forced to leave Bavaria behind in pursuit of regular first-team football. 

Alabama-born Richards has actually played more times for his county (eight) than he has his club (five). In fact, since joining Bayern Munich from FC Dallas three years ago, the versatile 22-year-old defender has spent most of his time out on loan at Hoffenheim, a side formerly coached by one-time FCB youth boss Sebastien Hoeness.

Southampton and Crystal Palace go head-to-head for Chris Richards

Now, a permanent departure appears to be on the cards. The Athletic claim that Richards has admirers at Crystal Palace and Southampton. Bayern are unlikely to stand in his way either, as long as those interested parties are willing to stump up a fee in the region of £13 million. 

Sport1 add that Julian Nagelsmann, Bayern’s head coach, has been left unconvinced by what he’s seen from the one-time Barcelona and Arsenal target behind the scenes at the club’s Sabener Strasse training ground.

The two-footed Richards is most comfortable at centre-half. He can also fill in on the left or the right full-back position if required.  

Richards would provide competition for one of the Premier League’s most underrated centre-back duos – Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen – at Crystal Palace. Martin Kelly will depart Selhurst Park this summer, though fellow veteran James Tomkins has agreed a new deal. 

Southampton, meanwhile, have made a defensive reinforcements their top priority after another season beset by errors at the back. Richards ticks plenty of boxes for a club who specialise in young, hungry, up-and-coming players with substantial re-sale value.