Bayern Munich's Luis Diaz signing shows they don't 'trust' Nick Woltemade as Germany legend casts doubt on Stuttgart star

The Bundesliga champions were on reached a personal agreement with 23-year-old Woltemade, but were rebuffed by Stuttgart and refused to match their high asking price. However, as soon as news of an unsettled Diaz reached Munich, the club were prompt to move for the Liverpool attacker, reportedly agreeing to pay €75 million (£65m/$87m) for his services. Matthaus believes the fact they were willing to pay up for the Colombian instead of the younger Stuttgart star shows German club has more trust and confidence in the former.

The Bundesliga club appear fully focused on getting Diaz to Allianz Arena. Matthaus believes the feeling inside the Bayern camp changed because they were desperately looking to sign a winger, and with a player as versatile as Diaz in the market – who proved his worth after winning last year's English title with Liverpool – it's a move the German club can't miss out on. The trust is so strong that the club, rather than prioritising young talent like Woltemade, placed their bet on an experienced asset like 28-year-old Diaz.

In a column for Sky Sport, Matthaus wrote: "After the departures of [Thomas] Muller and [Leroy] Sane and the long injury break for [Jamal] Musiala, Bayern Munich had to respond with quality. Luis Diaz has proven his quality in the Premier League. He's fast and strong in tackles. With him, Bayern have more options up front. He played as a left winger, a central midfielder, and a second striker at Liverpool. He could play behind Kane at Bayern, just like [Serge] Gnabry or [Michael] Olise. But if Diaz costs €75 million, he should be a permanent fixture in one position."

He added: "However, Diaz is already 28 years old, while Nick Woltemade is only 23. If they pay €75 million for a player five years older, they must have great confidence in Diaz. If one were mean, one could ask: Why doesn't Bayern have this trust in Woltemade, who has already committed to FCB? VfB Stuttgart would probably have been satisfied with the amount Diaz costs."

Reflecting on Bayern's search for a winger and their desperation to find one this summer, the ex-Bayern midfielder said: "Bayern's search for a left winger was similar to the search for a coach a year ago. If they end up as lucky with Diaz as they were with Vincent Kompany, they can be glad that the names previously contacted by the club didn't opt for a move to Munich. You don't always get everything you want; that's the way business works. It's not like it used to be, when you could literally walk to Real Madrid and Bayern Munich."

Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund and managing director Max Eberl must have sighed in relief after reaching agreement for Diaz. The club had previously been linked to many top talents but none of them came to fruition, but now with Diaz on the wings, the plan will be to make him a starter at the club and get him accustomed to coach Kompany's tactics as they head into a competitive 2025-26 season.

Bayern will face Lyon in their pre-season kick-off match on August 2.