Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that Bryan Zaragoza has given the green light to a move to Espanyol Barcelona. The Spanish top-flight club are also said to have already reached an agreement with the winger.
Now Bayern Munich just need to agree the terms. A loan with an option to buy is under discussion. The report does not mention any exact figures for the possible transfer. In principle, though, it would probably be a model the German record champions are comfortable with. Zaragoza is still under contract until 2029, but he has been out of the picture for quite some time.
As sporting director Max Eberl has repeatedly emphasised in recent days, coach Vincent Kompany has no use whatsoever for the 24-year-old. The Bayern coach has several high-quality options out wide in Luis Diaz, Michael Olise, Lennart Karl and Serge Gnabry. On top of that, returning loanee Arijon Ibrahimovic, who is at least planned in as a rotation player for the first half of the season, and new signing Ismael Saibari can also play on the wing. Further alternatives are available from the youth ranks, including Wisdom Mike and Tim Binder.
FC Bayern: Why has Bryan Zaragoza not established himself?
Bayern signed Zaragoza from Granada CF at the start of 2024 after bringing forward a transfer that had originally been planned for the summer because of injury concerns. The fee at the time is said to have been around €17 million. Since then, however, the 24-year-old has made only seven competitive appearances in a Bayern shirt and has not managed a single goal contribution. Alongside the language barrier, his allegedly mixed relationship with then coach Thomas Tuchel is also said to have played a part in his lack of minutes.
At Espanyol, Zaragoza would be heading for his fourth loan spell during his time at Bayern. Most recently he was loaned to Roma, before that to CA Osasuna and Celta Vigo. Zaragoza is understood, however, to have pushed for a return to Spain, where he also performed significantly better in the past than he did in the second half of last season in Italy.
Getty ImagesFC Bayern: Which players are still set to leave?
For the Romans, Zaragoza made only six appearances, also because of a knee injury in March. Before that move, his loan spell with Celta Vigo was terminated, despite him being a regular starter there in La Liga and the Europa League. As a result, the Giallorossi decided against triggering the €13 million purchase option and in doing so even accepted an alleged penalty payment of €500,000 that had previously been agreed with Bayern.
Alongside Zaragoza, Bayern are also looking for takers for Sacha Boey and Joao Palhinha. The latter is said to be on the verge of a move to Benfica Lisbon. On the incoming side, however, nothing more is expected to happen after the signings of Nathaniel Brown and Saibari.