Two new names have appeared on Bayern Munich’s radar as they look for a goalkeeper to add to a squad that will include the injured Manuel Neuer and Sven Ulreich at the start of the season. They are Brentford’s 28-year-old Albanian international Thomas Strakosha and 23-year-old Croatian Dominik Kotarski of PAOK, according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg:
Excl. Thomas #Strekosha: Brentford, 28, is also a new goalkeeper on FC Bayern’s roster, alongside #Kotarski.
➡️ Interesting for Bayern: Strakosha and Kotarski will be cheaper than Mamardashvili!
Decision on [Alexander] Nübel expected this week. As Hoeneß confirmed: Bayern are not pushing for an expensive successor to Neuer. @SkySportDE
Strakosha was the long-time goalkeeper at SS Lazio before leaving for the English Premier League on a free transfer last summer. However, he was unable to break into the team ahead of talented Spanish goalkeeper David Raya, who himself has been the subject of transfer rumors for some time, both at Arsenal FC in recent years and Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
But with Spurs moving for Guglielmo Vicario this summer, Raya could be set for a longer stay at Brentford and Strakosha may already be on the move.
Kotarski spent a few years in the Netherlands with Jong Ajax before moving to Gorica in Croatia, and after a year there, PAOK in Greece. The young goalkeeper is another talent in the Croatian pipeline; Dinamo Zagreb’s starting goalkeeper Dominik Livaković starred at the Men’s World Cup last winter and was the subject of transfer rumors to Bayern himself for a while.
Bayern seem to be in the market and are not willing to commit huge funds to this project, but these are some solid names to be linked with. With Neuer’s status uncertain and Ulreich’s age and contract moving forward as well, it is possible that this summer’s signing could feature for Bayern in both the short and long term.
Looking for the latest transfer talk? The Weekend Warm Up Podcast has you covered on Spotify or below. We’ve covered Harry Kane’s potential move to Bayern Munich, the uncertain statuses of Noussair Mazraoui, Sadio Mané, Marcel Sabitzer and Ryan Gravenberch, plus what could be in store for Leon Goretzka in the coming weeks!
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Source: New contenders emerge in Bayern Munich’s goalkeeper hunt
