Bayern Munich could easily afford to trigger a €50 million (£45m/$59m) release clause in Dayot Upamecano’s contract and should be looking to land the RB Leipzig centre-half as a replacement for Jerome Boateng, claims Lothar Matthaus.
The Bundesliga champions are expected to enter the market for defensive reinforcements at some stage in the near future.
World Cup winner Boateng has entered the final year of his contract, while David Alaba has done likewise and seen talks regarding a possible extension break down.
If Bayern find themselves in need of cover at centre-half, Matthaus believes they should be looking to raid a domestic rival for quality reinforcements.
“Jerome is prone to injury and has reached a certain age at 32,” Bayern legend Matthaus told AZ.
“In the past few years he has often had to take criticism, including from me, and that was justified. But he always behaved professionally and enjoyed a great comeback under Hansi Flick.
“One thing is clear, if David Alaba should go alongside Boateng, Bayern will need a replacement.
“There are, of course, some internal solutions: Lucas Hernandez, Niklas Sule, Benjamin Pavard and the young Tanguy Nianzou. From what I hear, Nianzou must be a giant, a really great talent.
“Nevertheless, reinforcement from outside would be needed. Leipzig's Dayot Upamecano would certainly be a player that would fit very well in terms of quality.”
Part of the problem for Bayern could be that Upamecano is attracting admiring glances from across Europe, with a number of sides in the Premier League said to be keen on the 22-year-old Frenchman.
Matthaus, though, believes that rival interest from the likes of Liverpool can be fended off.
The ex-Germany international added: “He has a release clause that allows him to move for €50m. That would be easy for Bayern.
“I already have the impression that the Bundesliga made up ground on the Premier League during the pandemic.
“You can see from the results of the German teams in the Champions League that they can keep up.
“Bayern, Dortmund, Leipzig and Gladbach all play attractive, attacking football. The Bundesliga shines, and is therefore also attractive for many top players.”
