'We can't influence them!' - Joshua Kimmich argues Premier League can easily 'pull massive transfer fees out of their sleeves' as Bayern Munich star says players not to blame for ever-increasing spending

Bayern hero Kimmich has voiced his concerns about the ever-growing transfer fees in football, admitting that neither players nor fans can truly make sense of the astronomical sums being paid in today’s market. The German star spoke ahead of the national team’s World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia, making it clear that players cannot influence the spiraling prices. His comments come in the wake of strong criticism from Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeness, who recently slammed the transfer market’s direction.

Clubs in the Premier League were highlighted as the clearest examples of the financial gap. With Liverpool signing Florian Wirtz for £116 million ($156m) and Alexander Isak for £125m ($169m). as well as Newcastle’s extraordinary £69m ($93m) move for Nick Woltemade, where they beat Bayern to his signature, underline the widening imbalance between Germany and England.

Kimmich admitted that even players struggle to understand the sums being thrown around and insisted that they can’t be blamed for the explosion in fees.

"It's hard to grasp, both for us players and for the average fan, how much money is paid for a player," he said. "We can't control the sums either, and to be honest, we can't really influence them either. Especially when such transfer sums are being paid, at the end of the day, you have to say that, of course, it's the market that determines these sums."

Pointing to the Premier League as the driving force behind inflated prices, Kimmich highlighted the structural advantage of English clubs: "If you look at the Premier League, there are obviously financial resources available, both through ownership and TV money, so they can apparently easily pull these sums out of their sleeves."

Kimmich’s frustration reflects a broader issue here with the Premier League’s financial dominance has pushed transfer spending to historic highs. According to a recent transfer report by FIFA, men’s football clubs invested a record $9.76 billion in international transfers, a staggering new benchmark. For Bundesliga sides like Bayern, once seen as among the biggest spenders in Europe, competing with English clubs is becoming increasingly unrealistic.

The Bundesliga champions missed out on major targets this summer, including Wirtz, whose price was simply unattainable. For German football, this raises questions not just about competitiveness but about the long-term sustainability of clubs that can’t match the Premier League’s resources.

Domestically, Bayern will look to refocus on the pitch, with their Bundesliga campaign continuing against Hamburger SV on September 13 at the Allianz Arena. They currently sit top of the league, but Kimmich’s candid reflections show that transfer frustrations linger in the background at Bavaria.