Jerome Boateng has trained with Bayern Munich for the first time ahead of the official announcement of his transfer.
Transfer market pundit Fabrizio Romano wrote on social media on Monday (January 1), “Boateng is expected to finalize his move to Munich soon. The final steps remain, including the main part of the medical. He will return as a free agent.”
“Boateng has been training with the Munich squad ahead of his free transfer,” Romano continued, and published a photo of Boateng in training.
Florian Plettenberg of Germany’s Sky Sports also reported, “Munich are currently pursuing a deal for Boateng. Boateng is currently without a club and the talks have progressed. He is physically fit and ready to return.”스포츠토토
Plettenberg continued: “Boateng’s first medical test has already been completed. He will join the first team training in the next few days. Boateng has been injury-free and fit for several weeks now, and it hasn’t been confirmed whether we will sign him on a six-month contract or until the end of the season.”
Munich have made changes to their defense this season. Luca Hernandez has joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Luca can play both center back and left back. However, he suffered a cruciate ligament tear midway through last season and was ruled out for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In the meantime, the Bavarians have settled on a central defense of Mathias De Ligt and Dayot Upamecano. The only options to replace them were Benjamin Pavard and Daley Blind, who joined in January. This summer, however, Lukaku and Pavard left, and Blint also departed.
Instead, a new center back was brought in. Kim Min-jae. Kim made the move to Napoli after a year at Fenerbahçe, where he excelled. He made a huge impact last season. Playing as a starting defender, he helped Napoli win their first Italian Serie A title in 33 years. Kim also won the Serie A best defender award.
This led to interest from Munich. Head coach Thomas Tuchel made a strong push to bring in Kim, and the Bavarians eventually paid a €50 million buyout. At the start of the season, Kim and Upamecano have been the starting pairing.
Der Licht missed the entirety of preseason due to injury, and recently suffered an additional injury. While it was reported to be a simple bruise, it means that the first team’s available center back options are Kim, Upamecano, and Der Licht, and any further injuries could disrupt the squad.
In response, the Bavarians are looking to strengthen their center backs, and Boateng is the man to do it. Boateng is a 35-year-old German center back. He joined Munich in 2011 after playing for Hertha Berlin, Hamburg, and Manchester City. He played for the club for 10 years and collected numerous trophies. He won the German Bundesliga nine times and the European Champions League twice.
Boateng ended his time in Munich in 2021 and moved to Olympique Lyonnais. However, he struggled for form last season due to injury, playing just eight Ligue 1 games. He became a free agent this summer.
Compared to 2020-21, the last season before Boateng’s departure, many players are still playing for Munich. Manuel Neuer, Sven Ulreich, Alfonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane, Thomas Muller, and others are still playing. The center back position, however, has been completely transformed.
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