Bayern Munich young star closing on a move to RB Salzburg | OneFootball

After winning the Bundesliga title, Bayern Munich will look to strengthen the squad in the summer to challenge on all fronts next season. The Bavarian club is looking to strengthen the attack and defense in the summer, but departures will be key to managing the transfer funds.

Die Roten will have to cash in on a few players who don’t have a long-term future at the club. Along with selling senior players, Bayern will also look to listen to offers for young players who may not play regularly at the club next season. Frans Kratzig falls under the second category of sales for Bayern in the summer.

According to Sky Sports in Germany, Bayern are close to reaching an agreement with RB Salzburg for the permanent transfer of Frans Kratzig. The Bavarian club is looking to get a fee close to 3.5 million for the versatile defender. Kratzig has already agreed personal terms with RB Salzburg.

It remains to be seen if Bayern will include a buy-back clause in the deal. Bayern have consistently inserted buy-back or sell-on clauses in the deals for players sold from the academy. They pocketed a significant amount from Joshua Zirkzee’s move to Manchester United last summer, as the Bavarian club had agreed on a sell-on clause with Bologna when they sold Zirkzee a couple of seasons ago.

RB Salzburg is a good move for Kratzig

Kratzig broke into the first team after impressing Thomas Tuchel during pre-season training in 2023. The youngster was part of the squad during the pre-season tour. He made few appearances under Tuchel but eventually joined Austria Wein at the start of 2024 to get consistent playing time.

The 22-year-old had a good loan spell at Austria Wien. In six months, he delivered several impressive performances for the Austrian side. Bayern decided to loan Kratzig to VfB Stuttgart last summer, but he couldn’t get adequate game time in the first half of the season. Kratzig returned to Munich in January and joined FC Heidenheim on loan for the rest of the season. Even though Heidenheim have struggled on the pitch, it has been a good loan move for Kratzig. The young versatile defender has made 14 appearances for Heidenheim in the second half of the season.

Considering how well Kratzig did in Austria last season, joining RB Salzburg is a smart move for the youngster. RB Salzburg have a good track record of developing young talent.