Only brief appearances on loan: Midfield prospect set to return to Bayern

FC Bayern München v FC Augsburg - Bundesliga

1. FC Köln will not activate the buy option, clearing the way for the 19-year-old's return to FCB.

On the final day of the winter transfer window, Felipe Chavez joined 1. FC Köln on loan. However, according to Sky, the Cologne club will not exercise its purchase option, so the youngster will now return to FC Bayern Munich for the time being.

As recently as March, the Abendzeitung reported that 1. FC Köln intended to exercise its option to sign him permanently. Although Chavez made only a few brief appearances under former coach Luka Kwasniok, the club had mapped out a clear development path for the young talent. "We want to ease him into the Bundesliga step by step," sporting director Thomas Kessler explained at the time. 

Had Cologne paid the transfer fee, reported to be in the mid-single-digit millions, Bayern Munich would still have held a buy-back option to bring the highly rated Peruvian back to Säbener Straße in 2027 or 2028.

FC Bayern München v VfL Wolfsburg - Bundesliga

In both Munich and Cologne, Chavez has featured only briefly so far.

Unlike with Noel Aseko, Munich did not need to activate this option for Chavez. Nevertheless, the Peruvian international saw only limited action during the relegation fight.

Even after René Wagner replaced the sacked coach in Cologne, the versatile midfielder rarely got the nod. He made seven appearances for the club but managed only 96 minutes on the pitch. His longest outing came on matchday 32, when he logged 28 minutes in central midfield during the 2-2 draw with Union Berlin; it would also be his final appearance.

He had earlier made his Bundesliga debut for the German record champions, earning two brief cameos totalling twelve minutes under Vincent Kompany against VfL Wolfsburg and FC Augsburg in January.

The left-footer is still waiting for his first goal or assist in the top flight, and his contract runs until 2027.

Felipe Chavez: Bundesliga 2025/2026 statistics