Dreesen highlights Bayern’s financial muscle: “We can afford any transfer” | OneFootball

CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen made a clear statement about transfers at the FC Bayern annual general meeting, emphasizing the club's commitment to economic prudence.

“We can afford any transfer we want to make. But we don’t want to make every transfer, and certainly not at any price. What is reasonable is defined by us—not by others,” Dreesen said at the Munich BMW Park. He continued: “The iron rule is that we do not spend more than we earn. This was true in the past and will remain true in the future.”

The CEO also highlighted the tense situation in the international transfer market. “We are experiencing turbulent times. The transfer market saw a record increase of over 50 percent this summer—to over nine billion US dollars,” Dreesen explained. Bayern competes with clubs “that don’t have to work nearly as hard for their money as we do,” he said, adding sarcastically: “We don’t have anyone who can just slip us a few million from their pocket. But you know what? I think that’s really good!”

Dreesen emphasizes the importance of the Club World Cup

Photo: IMAGO

Dreesen also openly addressed the structural challenges in the Bundesliga: “The first place in the English league receives twice as much as FC Bayern Munich. Even the last place in the Premier League still has 25 percent higher media revenues than the champion of the German Bundesliga.” The situation is similar in Spain and Italy, according to the CEO.

Despite these differences, FC Bayern was able to set new financial records last season. As Dreesen explained, matchday revenues rose to 260.7 million euros—a 14.9 percent increase. A significant contribution to this was the Club World Cup held in the summer. “This new competition was not only a financial success for us,” said Dreesen. “The Club World Cup brought us new fans, worldwide attention, and a very special sense of unity. The team was together for almost four weeks and grew closer. Surely, this spirit contributes to the current success.”

In October, Dreesen had already made a nearly identical statement in an interview with Welt am Sonntag, responding to criticism of the cautious transfer summer: “We can afford any transfer we want to make,” he said then as well. He added: “But we want to be able to pay for a player without having to run to the bank. That is not in FC Bayern’s DNA.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.