Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are reportedly all showing an interest in Jerome Boateng, who is set to leave Bayern Munich as a free agent next summer.
According to reliable German journalist Christian Falk, Jerome Boateng is set to leave Bayern Munich as a free agent in next summer’s transfer window. The Bundesliga champions will not tie down the veteran defender to a new contract and Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are keen on swooping him away from the Allianz Arena.
Exclusive: @FCBayern don‘t give @JeromeBoateng a new contract. in summer he is free of charge. This clubs from the premiere league are interested: @Arsenal @ChelseaFC @SpursOfficial Our Story: @BILD_Sport @altobelli13
— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) November 12, 2020
Boateng joined Bayern Munich from Manchester City in the summer of 2011. In the decade that has passed since, the German defender has progressed considerably to establish himself as one of the best in his trade during this period. At the same time, the 32-year-old has enjoyed heaps of success with Die Roten, winning every trophy imaginable.
However, in the last couple of years, it has been clear that Boateng is fast approaching the end of his peak years and the decline has been rather steep. Now into the final year of his contract with Bayern, it seems like the veteran centre-back has reached the end of the line at the Allianz Arena. The interest in him, though, remains sky high, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham interested.
Arsenal have bolstered their defence just about every summer in recent years, with Gabriel Magalhaes joining them ahead of the 2020/21 season. The Brazilian has been a fine addition to the Gunners’ backline, but the north Londoners do need to clear out the deadwood in their defensive department at the same time.
How Boateng will fit, though, remains a mystery, particularly at this stage of his career, considering Arsenal already have a declining centre-back in former Chelsea superstar David Luiz. Having said that, with the rest of the central defenders being inconsistent, the introduction of some more experience might help, especially with William Saliba yet to settle down at the club.
As for Chelsea, there really appears to be no need for another veteran centre-back, with Thiago Silva already adding that element following his arrival this past summer. With Fikayo Tomori and Malang Sarr being touted for bright futures and Kurt Zouma being reasonably solid this season so far, Chelsea do not really need to sign a central defender, let alone a 32-year-old Boateng.
Tottenham, though, could be best placed to sign a centre-back, with former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho having very little to choose from beyond Toby Alderweireld and Eric Dier. Dier himself has not been entirely convincing while Davinson Sanchez has been inconsistent as well. Hence, it seems like Tottenham could do with someone like Boateng, although he will only be a short-term addition.
Christian Falk has only mentioned that Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are interested right now, although the fact that he will potentially arrive on a free transfer makes him a low-risk option. But, it does remain to be seen if the three Premier League heavyweights launch the offensive for Boateng or if he ends up going elsewhere at the end of his Bayern Munich contract.
