Bayern Munich and Thomas Tuchel have two main targets for this summer’s transfer window; getting a top class striker and a number 6 midfielder. The front office and board have already said that they would be open to a striker transfer of up to 100 million euros, but the same cannot be said for the midfielder — they won’t spend as much for that position since they already have Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, and Konrad Laimer coming in this summer from RB Leipzig as a free agent.
Per information from Sport1’s Kerry Hau and Patrick Berger, as captured by @iMiaSanMia, Bayern is heavily interested in West Ham United’s Declan Rice, but the the Hammers’ captain would likely cost upwards of €100 million. Thus, Rice is more than likely priced out of Bayern’s budget seeing as reports now suggest they’re going to be willing to go all-in this summer to get Randal Kolo Muani from Eintracht Frankfurt. Allocating most of the funds for a top class striker will see that Bayern has to find a must cheaper option than Rice for the midfield role that Tuchel wants to fulfill to give Kimmich a bit more freedom.
Still, the midfielder is extremely popular in the eyes of the Bavarians:
Rice’s contract at West Ham runs through June 2024 and he’s currently valuated at around €80 million, per Transfermarkt. With it being the last year on his contract, West Ham know that they’ll be able to leverage a fee of around 100-million, especially if they wind up winning the Europa Conference League. David Moyes has already stated there’s a “good chance” Rice will wind up leaving the club this summer, but West Ham’s board have also said that they will not start talking to interested clubs until after this season is over.
For Bayern, they’ll have to continue looking elsewhere to try to find a No. 6 midfielder that will be a reasonable price considering how much they’re willing to spend to sign a top class striker. They’ll have to balance that with the plans they already have for Kimmich, Goretzka, and Laimer, while there could be some additional funds if they wind up selling Ryan Gravenberch this summer; there are a handful of interested clubs.