Goretzka’s departure: Bayern consider prominent midfield solution | OneFootball

FC Bayern will have to make some far-reaching decisions next summer – especially in central midfield. After eight years, Leon Goretzka’s time at the record champions is coming to an end. The 30-year-old’s contract is coming to an end and there is currently no prospect of an extension. Instead, everything points to a parting of the ways. A departure that will leave a gap in both sporting and structural terms

Goretzka has shaped the Bayern game for years, sometimes as a physically dominant box-to-box player, sometimes as a tactically adapted worker in the system. His departure now forces Munich to rethink the center – both in the short term and with a view to the coming years

New axis, many internal options

With Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic, Vincent Kompany has already found a new core midfield pairing. Both enjoy great confidence and are essential to Bayern’s game. Behind them, however, the situation is more open than it seems at first glance. Tom Bischof is seen internally as the first backup and a promising player, while Konrad Laimer could in principle also move back into the center. However, the Austrian has recently established himself as a full-back, where he has taken on new importance

The Bayern campus is also increasingly coming into focus. David Santos Daiber is a highly talented player waiting for his chance there. The Portuguese made his professional debut against 1. FC Heidenheim before Christmas and is considered a long-term project. The same applies to Felipe Chávez, who made a strong impression in the winter preparations and got his first taste of Bundesliga football in the 8-1 win over VfL Wolfsburg. Chávez is more attack-minded, but has the technique and intelligence that are needed in a modern midfield

Bayern therefore have internal solutions at their disposal – but it remains to be seen whether these will be enough to compensate for the loss of Goretzka at the top level

Bayern sound out the market – Guimarães makes an appearance

photo: IMAGO

Should those responsible decide against a purely internal solution, there could be a big-name addition in the summer. FC Bayern have been linked with numerous midfielders for weeks. According to Sport BILD, Kennet Eichhorn from Hertha BSC, Nathan De Cat from RSC Anderlecht and Zé Lucas from Sporting Recife are among the concrete candidates

Now another, much more prominent name has been mentioned. The British portal TEAMtalk has brought Bruno Guimarães from Newcastle United into play. Bayern are said to be keeping a close eye on the 28-year-old Brazilian. Guimarães is regarded as a complete midfielder who can operate both as a sole six-man and as a box-to-box eighth. His strengths lie in his aggressive ball-winning, hard tackling and a very clean passing quality. He also has a good overview, physicality and a high level of intelligence, which make him valuable both defensively and offensively

One detail is particularly explosive: according to TEAMtalk, Guimarães has a release clause of around €115 million at the end of the season – a sum that is significantly higher than his current market value, which Transfermarkt estimates at €75 million. It is considered extremely unlikely that FC Bayern would be prepared to go to these financial lengths for a central midfielder – especially given the available internal options

There is also the competition: in addition to Munich, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be interested in the Brazilian international. Bidding with the international elite hardly fits in with Bayern’s current strategic direction

One thing is certain: Goretzka’s departure will force FC Bayern to realign its centre-back options. It remains to be seen whether this will involve home-grown players, flexible role allocations or a major external transfer. However, names such as Guimarães show that all options are at least being considered at Säbener Straße – even if not all of them appear realistic.