Per reports, Bayern left-back Alphonso Davies has reached a verbal agreement with Real Madrid. Davies, 23, has long been linked with a potential move abroad, especially with his contract expiring in June 2025. Real Madrid has always been the most likely destination, reportedly having a long-held interest in the Canadian international.
Unfortunately, this is somewhere Bayern has been before. In 2021, Bayern star David Alaba let his contract expire, ending a 13-year stay in Munich by signing for … Real Madrid. By then, David Alaba had moved to center-back, with the promising talent Davies taking a bigger role at left-back, while Lucas Hernández was brought in to play a similar role as Alaba — a left-back who can also play in the center.
Now, Bayern again has a big decision to make. Unlike the Alaba situation, Bayern doesn’t have a clear successor at left-back — although they do have some options in the academy — so letting him go for free would be a big risk. However, it would give them another 12 months to pick out a replacement. The other (smarter) option would be to sell Davies now, getting money that can be invested in a replacement (or elsewhere.) But who could replace him?
Theo Hernández, AC Milan
Theo Hernández is the obvious replacement, and why not? Since leaving Real Madrid for AC Milan in 2019, he has consistently shown that he is among the best left-backs in the world. While he doesn’t have quite the same offensive output as Davies (although his goalscoring record is better), he is stronger defensively and remains a threat on offense. He has plenty of experience and is a regular starter for the French national team, so he’s used to playing at the highest level.
However, Hernández’s contract doesn’t expire until 2026, so it would be a very expensive deal. This means Bayern would essentially be reinvesting the Davies money directly into signing Hernández, which isn’t the smartest move financially. There’s also the problem of whether it is worth it at all: big-money full-backs have rarely justified the cost. Just look at the most expensive full-back ever — when Bayern spent an eye-watering €80 million on Theo Hernández’s brother, Lucas. That move didn’t go to plan.
A deal for Theo undoubtedly has upside and he could be the right player to fill in the Canadian international’s shoes. However, for the massive fee, he would have no other option than to hit the ground running.
Frans Krätzig, Austria Vienna
Krätzig looked set to become Bayern’s next breakout star after a strong preseason showing. The then 20-year-old (he turned 21 in January) traveled with the team to Singapore, making appearances against some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs — even scoring a last-minute winner from distance against Liverpool. However, he made just seven appearances in the first half of the season, including an unfortunate mistake against Saarbrücken in the DFB Pokal. In February, he was loaned out to Austria Vienna, where he has gotten off to a quick start.
Krätzig is a mixture of Davies and another (former) full-back, Joshua Kimmich. He is a highly technical player who poses a big threat on offense and can play in the midfield à la Kimmich. However, he has his limits physically, which were on display against Saarbrücken, and his defense is far from perfect. Krätzig also lacks experience — he had played a total of zero first-team minutes prior to this season — which is why he was sent on loan to Austria.
Bayern clearly rates Krätzig highly, as they refused a loan bid from Standard Liège with an option to buy. The question is if he’s ready to make the jump to the first team.
Alejandro Grimaldo, Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen has been the best team in the Bundesliga by some margin — maybe the best in Europe — and there are plenty of reasons for that. Xabi Alonso has continued to work his magic since being appointed two years ago. Florian Wirtz and Victor Boniface have been two of the best attackers in Europe this season. Granit Xhaka and Robert Andrich have anchored the midfield all season.
However, the full-back duo of Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong are maybe the most important part of Xabi’s team. The two have a simply baffling 32 combined goal contributions, with Grimaldo alone scoring eight goals and assisting ten. The Spaniard has been a menace in attack all season (which Bayern figured out the hard way), is always threatening on set pieces, and is a more than capable defender. If he’s willing to move, this would be a no-brainer — and it might also convince his countryman Alonso to make the jump to Munich.
Miguel Gutiérrez, Girona
Girona is similar to Leverkusen in a lot of ways: an exciting, young, promising team challenging far more successful and rich rivals for a league title. Just like Leverkusen, they have also been heavily reliant on their two full-backs, Yan Couto and Miguel Gutiérrez.
While Gutiérrez isn’t quite as good in attack as Davies, he’s still a pacy and talented player who can make things happen from the flank. Despite his age, the 22-year-old has plenty of experience and confidence, as this will be his second season as a regular starter for Girona. Gutiérrez is arguably one of the better-defending full-backs in La Liga, as well, although, like many modern full-backs, he can struggle against more physical opposition.
According to The Athletic, he has a release clause worth €35 million — not too pricy for one of Europe’s brightest young talents. However, Real Madrid has a buy-back worth €8 million, which they will probably trigger regardless of whether they sign Davies. However, they might be willing to let Gutiérrez leave for a cut-rate fee in exchange for Bayern selling Davies in the summer.
Ian Maatsen, Borussia Dortmund
Maatsen only joined the Bundesliga in January, but he’s already proven to be one of the best full-backs in the league. The Dutch talent left Chelsea on loan for Borussia Dortmund after struggling for minutes in the first half of the season, finding it difficult to break into Chelsea’s crowded backline. He’s hit the ground running, although he has not been entirely without fault.
Maatsen would be a cheaper alternative to Theo Hernández. There’s not one thing he does particularly well, he’s just a very well-rounded full-back. He’s confident on the ball and solid in attack — registering 10 G/A as Burnley won the Championship last year — while he’s a strong defender as well. Maatsen is only 21, too, so he will improve as he continues to play more.
Maatsen is currently on loan with Borussia Dortmund, but his contract is owned by Chelsea. If he keeps his form up, Dortmund would love to sign him permanently, but he may cost more than they are willing to spend, especially with Tom Rothe starring for Holstein Kiel on loan from Dortmund right now. Chelsea might consider selling Maatsen as they try to fix their FFP problems, so Bayern could snatch Maatsen for a bargain fee.
Antonee Robinson, Fulham
Hear me out.
Robinson might not be the most glamorous option, and he won’t have the same offensive output as some of the other players on this list. However, Robinson is severely underrated: he leads the Premier League in interceptions by a significant margin, has been one of the best defensive full-backs in the league, and his speed and passing make him dangerous in attack. It doesn’t hurt that he’s played nearly 100 Premier League matches and been capped 39 times by the US national team, either.
Robinson won’t exactly be cheap, as his contract doesn’t expire until 2028 and he has caught the eye of several European giants. Fulham and Bayern also had some negotiation difficulties last summer, with Fulham pulling out of a deal to sell Palhinha to the Bavarian giants at the last minute (although that did lead to the emergence of Aleksandar Pavlović.)
Luca Netz, Borussia Mönchengladbach
Luca Netz might only be 20, but he’s already featured in four (!) separate Bundesliga seasons after debuting for Hertha Berlin back in 2021 at the age of 17. He then made the move to Mönchengladbach, where he has increasingly become an important part of the first team — culminating in this season, where he has started 19 out of 23 possible matches.
One of the best full-back prospects in Germany right now, Netz is no Alphonso Davies, but he could be one day. His dribbling is incredible for a defender, he possesses great pace, and his passing is very good as well. Defensively, he’s not on the same level as the likes of Theo Hernández, but Netz is a very solid defender who rarely makes mistakes.
Netz is likely the cheapest option on this list (aside from Krätzig and Adam Aznou, who are both already at the club), but he could be one of the better options. He has plenty of experience, especially in the Bundesliga, while he also has room to improve: he is only 20, after all.
Adam Aznou, Bayern Munich
Aznou isn’t going to be ready to replace Davies immediately. While the Moroccan youth international is one of the most promising full-backs in the world, he is only 17 and has not played a single minute for the first team.
However, he could be the Davies replacement in 2025. If Bayern doesn’t spend big — or at all — on a Davies replacement, they could turn to Raphaël Guerreiro to start for one season. With Guerreiro starting, Aznou could earn some minutes off the bench and start occasionally in less important matches in the Bundesliga, Champions League, or DFB Pokal.
Aznou is one of many promising left-backs coming through Bayern’s academy and youth teams. Maximilian Henning, Matteo Vinlöf Perez, and more could be capable of becoming Bayern’s next long-term solution at left-back. However, none of them are ready yet, so the question becomes: is Bayern willing to wait and see if they can produce the next Davies, or will they splash the cash on a ready-made replacement?
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Image courtesy of ACMilan.com.
