Bayern Munich fear missing out on Dayot Upamecano again as Premier League champions Liverpool consider a January swoop for the RB Leipzig defender, according to BILD.
Not even the masters of the transfer market get it right every time.
And while Bayern have secured some of the most inspired signings of the modern era, think Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry and Alphonso Davies for bargain fees, you get the feeling they would happily turn back the clock when it comes to Upamecano.
According to BILD, FC Hollywood rejected the chance to add a little-known, Valenciennes-based teenager to their all-star cast in 2015.
Five years on, Upamecano is on his way to becoming a genuine A-list superstar in his own right at Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig, with a £40 million release clause catching the eye of the biggest clubs on the continent.
Bayern Munich, then, would have little choice but to make Upamecano one of their top-five all-time biggest signings if they are to right the wrongs of 2015.
The France international himself is open to a move to Bavaria, where he could be tasked with replacing the out-of-contract Jerome Boateng or David Alaba.
BILD, however, points out Bayern, hit hard by football’s financial crisis, would struggle to meet Upamecano’s price tag. This could open the door for a Liverpool side that, due to long-term injuries at centre-half, could target Leipzig’s prized asset when the January window opens in a few weeks.
“If we don’t have fans in the stadiums again soon, I fear football will suffer great damage. We are talking about a loss of around 100 million (euros),” Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said recently, laying bare the club’s stark financial problems.
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