Bayern lead the way in Upamecano race

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Bayern Munich are now firmly in the lead when it comes to the race for the signature of RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano, as reported by David Ornstein in his weekly column for The Athletic.

The 22-year-old is apparently set to leave his current club next summer, with a release clause set in his contract at €42 million comes into effect. It is a very reasonable price for a player of such talent with plenty of room and time to improve in the future.

Upamecano is keen to agree a move as soon as possible, as he believes it would give him a better chance of being given an important role in the France team next year when they embark on the World Cup qualifying campaign, quite apart from the European Championship which is scheduled to take place in June and July.

The likes of Real Madrid, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain have been credited with interest in the young centre-back in recent months, but Ornstein says the only real contenders have lately been Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

However, the journalist also says that the Premier League club have made it perfectly clear they won’t be pursuing a deal for this player, despite the wish of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to add some quality to the central part of his back line. It means the path is now clear for the Bundesliga champions and Champions League holders to make their move.

Bayern opted against moving for Upamecano in the past because it would have required larger funds then and they had no real need for a player in his position. That is now set to change at the end of the season with experienced defenders Jerome Boateng and David Alaba both likely on the way out.