'Won't be boring' – Bayern Munich to target Barcelona stars in busy transfer window

The Bundesliga giants, reeling from Saturday's 5-1 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt, are targeting several new players in January

Posted Monday, December 11, 2023 by fourfourtwo.com

Bayern Munich are poised for a busy January in their pursuit of a 12th consecutive Bundesliga title, with the Bavarian giants targeting two Barcelona players in the winter window.

Thomas Tuchel's side were surprisingly beaten 5-1 by Eintracht Frankfurt in a one-sided contest on Saturday and are four points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen, albeit with a game in hand.

Speaking on German TV station Sport1, Bayern's sporting director Christoph Freund said: "It certainly won't be boring; a lot will happen," as he confirmed the club are hoping to make two or three major signings in the winter window.

Two such targets are Barcelona pair Ronald Araújo and Clément Lenglet, who is currently on loan at Aston Villa.

Sky Sports Deutschland reported that manager Thomas Tuchel spoke with Araújo over the weekend, making clear his intention.

When asked publicly about the conversation, Tuchel said: "I won’t comment on that in any way," but reports stress the intensity with which Bayern are willing to pursue the Uruguay defender.

The 24-year-old has played 13 times for Barcelona this season, having joined in 2018, and Tuchel views defensive reinforcement as paramount.

Araújo signed a four-year contract extension in 2022 that came with a €1 billion release clause, but Bayern may be able to force the cash-strapped Barça's hand.

Meanwhile, Villa could rue failing to field Lenglet in any league games since his loan began in September. He is a relatively low priority target for Bayern but Spanish newspaper Sport suggest the German club would be willing to make a move if Villa are open to ending the loan deal early.

Tuchel has already spent a reported £129 million since taking over in March, and risks losing the league title to a red-hot Leverkusen side coached by Xabi Alonso.