Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham chase Bayern Munich defender

Stefan Bienkowski

• Updated: 17 May 2021 22:19 BST
• 3 min read

Premier League clubs Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham could turn their attention towards defender Jerome Boateng if Bayern Munich don’t offer the German international a new contract. 

According to reports in Sport Bild, the Bavarian giants have decided against extending Boateng’s contract, which expires at the end of the season. And following strong interest from Arsenal last summer and Jose Mourinho’s reported admiration for the defender, it seems as though a move to London may now be on the cards.

The 32-year-old defender has been in solid form for Hansi Flick’s side this season, starting in eight of the Munich side’s first 13 games of the season. However, Bayern have invested heavily in new central defenders in recent seasons, with the arrival of Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez, coupled with the emergence of Niklas Sule. And it seems as though Boateng is now surplus to demand at Bayern. 

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The news may come as something of a surprise to the player, whose agency recently suggested the senior defender was perfectly comfortable at the club. Just one week ago agent Damir Smoljan told German media: “Jerome feels incredibly comfortable here. The team is incredibly focused and professional. All of this suits Jerome. We are open to contract talks. The future is exciting. We look forward to talking to Bavaria.”

Bayern’s sudden decision draws parallels to David Alaba’s own future at the club, after the defender was recently told he could leave at the end of the season following a breakdown in contract negotiations. 

If the reports in Germany are to be believed, Flick could quite possibly be without both Alaba and Boateng in defence next season. Two defenders that, despite what the club’s board and accountants may believe, have been pivotal to Bayern’s strong start to the season. 

Indeed, if Flick is privy or even agreed to Boateng’s departure from the club then he’s doing an excellent job of hiding it. Following Bayern’s 6-2 victory over RB Salzburg in the Champions League last week, the Bayern manager singled out the senior defender for praise. 

“It has something to do with training and his professional attitude,” said Flick. “It’s just nice to see. We are all glad that he has worked on himself over the last few months and that he has caught up a lot and that he simply played a very good game here today.”