“Never our intention”: Bayern boss makes surprising transfer statement | OneFootball

Hiroki Ito hasn’t had an easy time at FC Bayern so far. Several metatarsal fractures sidelined the Japanese player for a while. It wasn’t an easy period for Ito; he often had to fight his way back. And most recently, there were rumors about him leaving. 

That was shortly before Deadline Day. At the time, it was reported that his agents had offered the player to Ajax Amsterdam. As early as the beginning of the summer, there was speculation that Ito was among the top candidates for a transfer, provided he was open to the idea himself.

At Bayern, the Japanese player has so far played as a center back or on the left side of the defense. When he was fit, he managed to make an impact.

Ito: Here’s what Freund has to say about the rumors

Most recently, sporting director Christoph Freund commented on the rumors surrounding Ito. The Austrian stated that while he had heard the reports, there was nothing in the works and the club actually plans to keep the player.

Freund has now elaborated on this point. “It was never our intention to let Hiroki go. He’s an important player who has now been fully fit again for quite some time. If an exceptional offer had come in and Hiroki had said he could see himself making that move, then we would have considered it—but otherwise, it was never really an issue,” the sporting director told BILD. 

Photo: IMAGO

Since Bayern’s roster isn’t very deep to begin with, the club would likely have had to make another move if Ito had left. The 2026–27 season could now be crucial for the Japanese player. If he manages to stay fit, he has what it takes to become a very good backup for the record champions as a defender with strong build-up play—in other words, to fulfill exactly the role that was intended for him.