Report: Bayern Munich’s pursuit of FC Barcelona defender Ronald Araújo interfered with squad planning

Bayern Munich went after FC Barcelona defensive stalwart Ronald Araújo in the January transfer window in a move that many saw impossible to materialize. Reportedly, in their apparent infatuation with the 24-year-old Uruguayan, their squad planning went down the drain:

Bayern were too focused on Ronald Araújo for January, who was the absolute priority target to cover both centre-back and right-back positions. That’s why the alternatives were explored hastily and in a rush and it took time to start working concretely on them.

– Sport Bild’s Christian Falk as captured by Twitter account @iMiaSanMia

This could be a case of the Rekordmeister going after the wrong players and doing so at the wrong time. Another example is Radu Drăgușin who, before Bayern made a late bid for the Romanian, had already agreed terms with Tottenham Hotspur. The Bavarians eventually landed Eric Dier from Spurs and signed him on a six-month deal with an option to extend to 2025.

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