'Mane & De Ligt are not world-class players' - Bayern's summer transfer business criticised by Rummenigge

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the former CEO of Bayern Munich, has criticised the Bavarian outfit for breaking the bank to sign Sadio Mane and Matthijs de Ligt in the summer transfer window. Bayern paid Liverpool a €32m (£27m/$34m) fixed fee for Mane and he is reportedly set to earn a salary of around €15m a year, making him one of the highest earners at the Allianz Arena.

Meanwhile, De Ligt joined the Bundesliga champions from Juventus for an initial fee of €67m (£57m/$69m), with the deal set to be worth an extra €10m in add-ons if certain performance and commercial-related clauses are met.

What did Rummenigge say about the transfers of Sadio Mane and Matthijs de Ligt?

In his column for Sportbuzzer, Rummenigge minced no words to express his displeasure over the transfer activity carried out by Bayern.

"Why has Hasan Salihamidzic & Co. been praised for recently for their summer transfers? Honestly, I can't join in this chorus of jubilation," he said.

"With all due respect for Sadio Mane and Matthijs de Ligt - both of them are not world-class players for me. Of course, Mane will do the Bundesliga good and score his goals, but at the age of 30, I don't see him at the absolute top level."

The former Germany international doesn't think that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp would have let his star forward leave Anfield so easily if he was at the top of his game.

"Had it been otherwise, Jurgen Klopp would have certainly fought harder to keep the striker at Liverpool," Rummenigge added.

The 66-year-old also opined that appointing De Ligt as the key man in defence is a risky move and says the club should have stuck to Niklas Sule, who was sold to domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund.

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"I'm even more sceptical about De Ligt. Sure, he's only 22 years old. But the last three seasons at Juventus were lost time for him," said Rummenigge.

"He should have been able to develop further after his furious start to his career at Ajax. I think it is very daring to declare him Bayern's chief of defence. You could have kept Niklas Süle."

What about Noussair Mazraoui?

Bayern have also managed to bring in Moroccan defender Noussair Mazraoui, on a free transfer from Ajax. The 24-year-old has signed a four-year deal and will slot in at the right-back position. He made 137 senior appearances for the Dutch giants, scoring 10 goals, and won three Eredivisie titles and two Dutch Cups.

Rummenigge has been impressed by the player's performances and has compared him to PSG's Achraf Hakimi.

"In the shadow of de Ligt and Mane, Noussair Mazraoui could develop into a real king transfer from Munich," he said.

"He reminds me a little of the former Dortmund Achraf Hakimi, who now plays for Paris St. Germain. Mazraoui will help Bayern a lot on the defensive right flank."

The six-time Champions League winners have had a busy summer as they have also roped in centre-forward Mathys Tel and midfielder Ryan Gravenberch.