Bayern Munich have identified Barcelona attacker Ousmane Dembele as a potential replacement for Kingsley Coman amid his ongoing contract stand-off.
Coman has just over 18 months remaining on his contract. He has no plans of extending his stay with Bayern reluctant to meet his demands for a significant pay rise.
This has led to suggestions that he could be sold next summer. According to Christian Falk, the Bavarian giants could replace him with compatriot Dembele next term.
Dembele has yet to be convinced to sign a new deal at Barcelona. The Frenchman could leave for free when his contract expires at the end of the campaign.
Football Today verdict:
Coman has struggled with injuries during his Bayern career. Despite this, he has bagged 46 goals and 52 assists from 216 appearances in all competitions.
The hierarchy are keen for him to stay, but his annual wage demands of around €16 million have put them off from negotiating a new long-term contract.
Dembele appears a like-for-like replacement as he can play on either wing. However, he has had injury concerns of his own, and there is a risk in signing him.
If he can stay unscathed, he would be a quality successor. The Frenchman won’t come on the cheap, having already snubbed a €12m per year offer from Barcelona.
There does not appear much difference in the salary demands of either player. Bayern could be using their reported interest in Dembele as leverage against Coman.
They could restart talks with Coman in the near future with the aim of reaching an agreement over a new deal.
