Revealed! B04 star was on the verge of a move to Bayern

FC Bayern München v Real Madrid CF - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Quarter-Final Second Leg

Bayer Leverkusen's current sporting director, Simon Rolfes, was once on the verge of joining FC Bayern Munich, according to a former player agent.

Former player agent Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten told Bild football editor Christian Falk that Rolfes was "well on his way" to Munich, with talks already at an advanced stage.

Then-coach Jupp Heynckes had earmarked the former central midfielder for a key role in the Bayern squad and is said to have lobbied hard for the move to Munich.

Rolfes prioritises his role at Leverkusen over a move to Bayern

In the end, though, the move fell through. According to Baumgarten, emotional and sporting considerations trumped the record champions' attractive offer. Rolfes felt perfectly at home at Leverkusen, in his ideal environment, and did not want to relinquish his captaincy.

Rolfes stayed loyal to the Werkself for a total of ten years until retiring as a player in summer 2015, then transitioned into club management, becoming sporting director in 2022.

In this role, he publicly sparred with FCB fan favourite Sven Ulreich during a Bayer away match at the Allianz Arena in September, after Ulreich had called him a "wanker".