Bayern Munich was previously speculated to be interested in acquiring Wolfsburg midfielder Kevin De Bruyne this summer to succeed their aging wingers. One of the Bayern's stars had something to say about that on Wednesday.
Bayern midfielder Franck Ribery apparently doesn't buy the talk of his club going after De Bruyne and insisted he and teammate Arjen Robben are not nearing the end of their careers despite injury troubles this season.
"Believe me, in this world, you won't find players like me or Arjen that easily, with all due respect," Ribery told German sports weekly Sport Bild. "Of course, the club needs to contemplate about what happens once we have left, but Arjen and I are not done yet."
Ribery and Robben are the team's midfielders and top players, but both are 31 years old and Bayern may need to start looking beyond the next couple of seasons to keep the club atop the Bundesliga. Bayern's strategy relies on success from the midfield, which is why the speculation has come to light in recent weeks. In addition to Ribery and Robben, the club also has aging midfielders Bastian Schweinsteiger and Xabi Alonso. They're working other young stars into the mix, but an outside star could be a big boost to keep the club in contention after Ribery and Robben potentially leave after 2017.
Ribery understands that, but he doesn't think De Bruyne is that guy.
"He's not a player who takes the ball and starts dribbling, and likes to have the opponent in front of him. De Bruyne's super when he has the space on the counter attack, but at Bayern you usually only have three, four metres -- no huge spaces. But he is a good player, and he is still young. He can still learn."
Instead he thinks Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard would fit the bill for Bayern.
"He attacks all of the time. He loves to run at his opponent," he said, implying that's more of the club's style.
Interestingly enough, it was reported De Bruyne would be open to returning to Chelsea during the summer transfer window if Wolfsburg were to not qualify for Champions League or fail to win the Europa League.
Is there a chance Chelsea sells Hazard to Bayern and purchases De Bruyne from Wolfsburg if all scenarios were to line up? It's unknown if Chelsea is at all interested, but recent speculation could indicate such a move.
We'll see when the transfer window opens on July 1.
