Top club interested in Raphael Guerreiro following his departure from Bayern Munich: a new chapter in his career awaits

Bayern announced yesterday, Monday, that Guerreiro’s contract, which expires at the end of the season, will not be renewed. The versatile Portuguese player will therefore leave the Munich club after three years together.

"We would like to thank Rapha warmly for his time with us: Rapha was always reliable on the pitch, and players of his calibre enrich any dressing room," FCB sporting director Max Eberl was quoted as saying in a statement: "Our discussions with him were positive, based on trust and mutual understanding. Now we are focusing together with him on our goals until the summer – together we still want to achieve a great deal."

Guerreiro joined Bayern on a free transfer from BVB in the summer of 2023, having been a target of then-manager Thomas Tuchel. He made a fair number of appearances for the German record champions, but was unable to consistently match the form he had shown during his glory days at Dortmund. Most recently, he was rarely called upon under Vincent Kompany and consequently spent most of his time on the substitutes’ bench.

Since mid-January, he has played just two Bundesliga matches (58 minutes), though he did feature for 83 minutes in the Champions League round of 16 second leg against Atalanta. To date, Guerreiro has made 89 competitive appearances for the German record champions, scoring twelve goals and providing eight assists.

Benfica, currently managed by Jose Mourinho, would be Guerreiro’s first professional club in Portugal. The left-back, who was born and raised in France, began his career in the youth ranks at Blanc-Mesnil SF before moving to Munich via spells at INF Clairefontaine, SM Caen, FC Lorient and Borussia Dortmund.

Alongside Benfica, Juventus have also been linked with Guerreiro. Last December, Italian and German media reported that the Old Lady were considering the 32-year-old as they sought to strengthen their full-back positions.