Ahead of the transfer market officially re-opening on July 1, we ask readers who Pep Guardiola’s top purchase should be for the 2015-16 campaign
Another season, another Bundesliga truimph for Bayern Munich. Pep Guardiola’s men never looked anything but assured champions as they waltzed to their third domestic title in a row and second since the Catalan arrived at the Allianz Arena.
Unlike the previous two seasons, the Bavarians had no DFB-Pokal trophy to place alongside their league crown due to semi-final elimination at the hands of Borussia Dortmund, while their Champions League exit to Barcelona in the last four would be cruel to criticise too heavily.
But how will Guardiola attempt to silence his critics in 2015-16 with summer transfer market moves? Who will he turn to in order to better a team no one in Germany looks set to be able to hold a candle to over the coming 12 months?
Rumours of the former Camp Nou boss leaving the Bundesliga for the Premier League might have died down, but he will certainly have his eye on the promising players he can steal away. One such star is Southampton’s Sadio Mane, who impressed in his debut season at St Mary’s as the Saints constantly tussled near the top of the table with teams nobody expected them to challenge.
Another not-globally-known attacker who is reported to have caught Bayern’s eye is Porto star Yacine Brahimi. The Algeria international will be a familiar face to the likes of Philipp Lahm and Manuel Neuer, with Germany having faced him during last summer’s World Cup and, in March, Guardiola’s troops came up against the 25-year-old in the Champions League.
Should Bayern fancy a forward with a rapidly growing reputation for being phenomenal then they might turn to Antoine Griezmann. But will Atletico Madrid sell? The forward was pivotal in their third-placed finish last season and many other stars seem to be leaving already in the off-season.
If the German giants are looking to keep the purse strings a little tighter then the rumours that they are chasing Shakhtar Donestk attacker Douglas Costa could well prove to be on the money.
Bayern’s defence came under a fair bit of criticism at times in 2014-15 and Guardiola may instead choose to bolster his options at the back, with Torino star Matteo Darmian a name who has been persistently linked with the Bavarians.
But who out of these five big names should Bayern really go all out to try and sign? Leave a comment below and vote in our poll!
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