Bayern Munich accused of being ‘obsessed’ with signing Barcelona players

Bayern Munich have been accused of being ‘obsessed’ with signing players from Barcelona, even though they have achieved far more than the Catalans in recent years.

Bayern dished out Barcelona’s most humiliating defeat in 2020 with an 8-2 annihilation in a one-legged Champions League quarter-final. They also put five past the Blaugrana without conceding over two games in this season’s group stage in the same competition.

Bayern have been linked with a number of current Barcelona players. But even though Robert Lewandowski famously made the switch in the opposite direction during the summer, Barcelona-based Mundo Deportivo claims that Bayern are ‘fixated’ on Barça players.

The local newspaper goes on to list a number of players that have already been eyed by Bayern – including midfielders Pedri and Frenkie de Jong.

Speculation from another Barcelona newspaper, SPORT, in December suggested that De Jong would be keen to join Bayern if an offer comes in and is ‘convinced’ he will have to be sold in the summer of 2023 due to ongoing financial situation at Camp Nou.

Other reports in Spain towards the end of 2021 claimed that Bayern would be willing to break their transfer record, currently €80m, to sign Pedri – who has a €1bn buyout clause.

MD alleges that Bayern have offered €40m for Pedri in the past and were keeping a close eye on Gavi before he agreed a new contract at Camp Nou with a €1bn buyout clause only recently. Although agreed in September, that deal for Gavi has only just been officially registered.

The latest Barcelona player that MD claim is of interest to Bayern is Ansu Fati, with the Bavarians supposedly hoping to convince the 20-year-old that his future is better served in Munich given the fact that he is not able to hold down a starting place at present.