Bayern Munich are keen on bolstering their defensive options with the signing of Emerson Royal from Tottenham this summer.
A report from German outlet Bild states that the Bavarians are looking to add depth to the right side of their defence in the upcoming transfer window.
Bayern have suffered down that side thanks to the loss of form of Joshua Kimmich — who is also often deployed as a midfielder — as well as various fitness and consistency issues for the likes of Sacha Boey and Bouna Sarr.
Moroccan right-back Noussair Mazraoui has also often had to fill in on the left thanks to muscle and ligament injuries suffered by Alphonso Davies.
According to Bild‘s report, Spurs will look for €29m for Emerson this summer, which would represent a €3m profit on what they paid to bring him from Barcelona in August 2021.
Bayern face competition from Serie A giants for Emerson Royal
Emerson’s move to Spurs simply hasn’t worked out as planned. The 25-year-old has made over 100 appearances for the Lilywhites across all competitions but only 11 of his 22 Premier League outings this season came from the start.
The Brazilian has often been criticised for his lack of defensive awareness, while at the other end of the pitch he’s contributed just four goals and two assists in a Spurs shirt.
Emerson came in for particularly heavy fire following Spurs’ 4-2 defeat to Liverpool at the start of May, arguably at fault for multiple Liverpool goals while filling in for injured left-back Destiny Udogie.
“They don’t have a real quality backup. Emerson Royal for me, I think he was at fault a few times in the Liverpool game, he had no idea where Mohammed Salah was. Look Salah is an outstanding footballer, but you have to do better,” former Spurs full-back Alan Hutton told Tottenham News earlier this month.
Hutton added: “Emerson is not the answer for me.”
But none of that has stopped Emerson from generating serious interest in Europe, with Bild reporting that Italian giants AC Milan and Juventus — who will both compete in the Champions League next season — are prepared to battle Bayern Munich for his signature.
One factor that could play in Bayern Munich’s favour is the presence of two of Emerson’s former Spurs teammates Harry Kane and Eric Dier. The Englishmen may well be used to persuade their Brazilian counterpart to join them at the Allianz Arena this summer, rather than moving to Italy.