The summer transfer window loves a saga, and this year, it seems as though the long-running narrative will surround Bayern Munich and their pursuit of Luis Díaz. The Colombian winger dazzled on Merseyside last season as he helped Liverpool secure a dominant Premier League title victory. Now, manager Vincent Kompany is hoping he can do the same at the Allianz Arena.
The deal certainly seems to make sense for all parties. The Reds are looking to raise cash to fund a potential deal for Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, and both Diaz and Darwin Nunez have been told they can leave Anfield for the right price. Bayern, meanwhile, has made a new winger their primary target following the departures of Leroy Sane and Thomas Muller in the aftermath of the Club World Cup.
Bayern up 6-0 at halftime 😳
Auckland City just happy to see the stars up close 😂
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) June 15, 2025
Diaz Imperative to Bayern’s Hopes
The Bavarians managed to reclaim the Meisterschale last season, but their efforts in the Champions League were somewhat futile. The addition of Diaz would be with one eye on continental competition, and if the latest odds from betting websites are anything to go by, the Colombian is certainly needed. The latest UCL odds from the popular Bovada website make Bayern a distant 10/1 shot to win the Champions League next season, and the addition of the former Porto star would surely see those odds slashed.
The question now, then, is, will Bayern land their primary target, or will the story’s final twist deliver heartbreak in Bavaria? With negotiations supposedly stretched by the hour, Bayern’s fabled directors are doing more than just hedging bets. This is an institution celebrated for its ruthlessness in the transfer market, a club that plans not just for the expected, but the unthinkable.
It’s no surprise, then, that a shortlist of high-calibre alternatives lies ready, each option carrying unique statistics, tantalising qualities, and strategic intrigue. As the clock ticks toward deadline day, three names form a Plan B that’s anything but second-rate.
Amine Adli
Bayern’s habit of reinforcing by raiding domestic rivals is well-documented. In the past decade, 14 first-teamers have made the famously short leap from league challenger to league titan, a list of players headlined by Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze. Those two once formed part of Jürgen Klopp’s famed Borussia Dortmund team that won back-to-back league titles, and now it seems Xabi Alonso’s 2024 Bayer Leverkusen side is next in line.
Jonathan Tah has already swapped the BayArena for Bavaria, and the next in this chain of “Bayernization” could well be Amine Adli. The Moroccan international played a bit part role in that Meisterschale success, but he was imperative in the runs to both the Europa League and DFB Pokal finals, losing the first and winning the second. Ten goals and 12 assists in all appearances that season certainly caught the eye; however, a broken fibula limited his impact in 2024/25.
At 25, he is at the perfect intersection of development and readiness—exactly the profile Bayern crave when weakening a rival and fortifying their own lines. Ask any Leverkusen fan what losing Adli might mean, and you’ll hear echoes of the pain found in Dortmund and Leipzig that followed the departures of Lewandowski and Konrad Laimer to Munich colours. Die Werkself will be hoping that the Diaz deal does go through; otherwise, yet another prized asset could be departing.
Christopher Nkunku
There’s a thin line between misfortune and opportunity, and Christopher Nkunku is balancing on its edge. At RB Leipzig, his transformation was legendary: 20 goals and 15 assists in 2021/22 put Europe’s elite on high alert. Chelsea ultimately won the race, but what followed was a cautionary tale of two years packed with injuries and diminished returns.
For Bayern, the Frenchman is a rare asset—scarred perhaps, but not broken. His Bundesliga past is littered with devastating performances against top-level opposition. Tactically, he brings a different kind of dynamism: a creator between the lines, an incisive runner off the shoulder, and a player whose positioning gives Kompany a double-edged sword in attack – wings or central – as the match demands.
Now, with Chelsea’s recent acquisitions of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap pushing Nkunku toward the exit door, the former Paris Saint-Germain youngster could be available at a cut price. The risk is obvious, but so too is the reward for a club that specialises in statistical revivals. Bayern took a similar chance with Leroy Sané coming off injury in 2020; the results were sparkling. Could history repeat with Nkunku?
Marcus Rashford
Sometimes, the numbers don’t explain the player—they dramatise him. Marcus Rashford, at the peak of his powers, is unstoppable. His 30 goals for Manchester United in 2022/23 were a raw illustration of what happens when confidence, trust, and opportunity align. Since then? A brutal return to earth: 11 goals last season, hampered by injury, tactical shuffling, and a club in permanent flux.
But Rashford is only 27, with over 440 appearances and a Champions League pedigree that European giants dream of. His weapons are glaring: electric acceleration, an elite strike rate, and the ability to conjure match-winners out of thin air. While his stock has dramatically fallen since that blistering spell of form around the 2022 World Cup, a loan move to Aston Villa at the back end of last season proved he can still win games single-handedly on his day.
Sadly, Barcelona have taken this particular piece off the board, agreeing a season-long loan move. It’s a shame, as Munich likewise offers something uniquely alluring: a culture of reinvention and a stage commensurate with Rashford’s ambitions. Now, the Bavarians will have to watch from afar as Rashford takes to the stage in Catalonia.
