Chelsea, Man City and Real Madrid interested - could Alphonso Davies leave Bayern Munich?

The January transfer window has been unusually quiet, as England’s biggest clubs keep their powder dry for the summer window or continue to reel from new financial fair play rules curtailing their appetite for new signings. As such, the biggest transfer of the window thus far in the Premier League has been Radu Drăgușin’s move to Tottenham Hotspur, which only cost the North London club €25 million. A drop in the ocean compared to the obscene fortunes that were spent last year. 

However, with that quiet comes an expectation that a storm is brewing on the horizon and in this instance it seems to be coming from the direction of Munich, where Alphonso Davies is reporting considering his options. The Bayern Munich defender, whose current contract expires next summer, is the subject of some serious transfer speculation and could be at the heart of a major transfer story in a few months time. 

Why would Man City, Chelsea or Real Madrid want to sign Davies?

According to Tom Coley at Football London, Chelsea have joined the race to sign Davies in the summer. The Canadian international has also been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid for a number of months now, while Sky Germany previously reported that Manchester City will also consider a move for the player too. And it’s not hard to see why each of these three clubs would be desperate to sign Davies in the summer. 

For example, despite winning the Premier League and Champions League last season, Pep Guardiola’s side only have one official left-back in their squad in the form of Sergio Gómez, with central defenders and right-backs often being tasked with filling in on the left flank. Similarly, injuries and a lack of form from Ferland Mendy has led to Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti typically turning to defensive midfielder Eduardo Camavinga to fill-in at left-back in the Spanish capital. Chelsea, in stark contrast, do have two high-profile left-backs in Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella, but the former has struggled to stay having missed no less than 90 games since he made the move to Stamford Bridge in 2020, while the latter is no longer deemed a viable first-choice option. 

Could Davies leave Bayern Munich? 

Perhaps the most important thing to consider in this transfer saga is Davies’ contract and its expiration date. Like many top players, the Canadian full-back will be in the midst of contract negotiations with Bayern over improved terms and a better contract if and when he renews his deal. And as part of that, rumours linking him to other clubs to improve the player’s standing in negotiations are not only inevitable but also a typical part of the process. But that’s not to say that Davies won’t leave Bayern in the summer or 12 months later when his current contract expires. 

Despite Bayern’s financial power and clear capacity to challenge for the Champions League most seasons, that hasn’t entirely ruled out their star players departing for bigger pay cheques or success elsewhere. Particularly when Spanish clubs come calling. For example, in the summer of 2021 Robert Lewandowski forced through a departure from the club to join Barcelona, while Real Madrid have plucked both Toni Kroos and David Alaba from Bayern’s first team players in recent memory to the annoyance of Bayern fans across the world. Should Davies decided to draw a line under his time in Germany, a move to Spain could appeal to him just as much as it has done for his former team mates.