Bayern Sign $22 Million Rated Raphaël Guerreiro On A Free Transfer

Bayern Munich has signed their second player for the 2023/24 season. On Friday, the club announced the arrival of Raphaël Guerreiro. The 29-year-old, who can play left-back and midfield, arrives on a free transfer from Borussia Dortmund, where his contract expired, and has signed a deal at Bayern until 2026. It is a steal for Bayern as Guerreiro has a Transfermarkt market value of €20 million ($22 million).

Although there is a common misconception that Bayern regularly shops at their main rivals, Guerreiro becomes just the sixth player in history to move from Dortmund to Munich. Guerreiro also becomes just the second player after Robert Lewandowski to make the move from Munich to Dortmund on a free transfer. Dortmund, in the meantime, signed eight different players from Bayern, including Niklas Süle, on a free transfer last season.

“When the call came from FC Bayern, my decision was made quickly,” Guerreiro said in a statement published by the club. “It’s an honor for me to play for this big club, and I also really appreciate Thomas Tuchel from our time together at Dortmund.”

Head coach Tuchel, in fact, is considered the main reason why Guerreiro turned down offers from the likes of Atlético Madrid to move to Munich. Dortmund, in the meantime, also tried to sign the player to an extension. But after years of transfer speculations in which the club was rumored to sell Guerreiro almost every summer since he joined Dortmund from Lorient in 2016, the player camp felt it was time to move on.

“It was the coach—he called me,” Guerreiro said in an interview with FC Bayern TV. “Of course, I appreciate him a lot when I was in Dortmund with him. It was important to me to have him on the phone. Because of that, I took my decision really fast.”

There is no doubt that Guerreiro’s departure will be a major loss for Dortmund. Initially, a left-back, Guerreiro often played as a central midfielder for the Black and Yellows this season, contributing four goals and 12 assists in 27 games. In fact, only Antoine Griezmann, Kevin De Bruyne, and Lionel Messi had more assists (all 16) across the top five leagues in Europe this season.

“Raphaël Guerreiro has been one of the best and most consistent players in the Bundesliga for years,” Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said in a club statement. “He is versatile and has international experience, and fits into the team both in terms of character and football.”

At Bayern Munich, Guerreiro is now expected to add depth to the left-back position and midfield. At left-back, Bayern only has Alphonso Davies under contract, and the Canadian has come off a season in which, at times, he looked overplayed. In Guerreiro, the club now has a reliable backup should contract negotiations with the Davies camp go sideways.

But Guerreiro is undoubtedly more than just a Davies backup. The Portuguese national team player can also add depth and creativity to a midfield axis that seemed stale last season. Dynamic and fantastic in transition, Guerreiro can play several roles in midfield where he can help anchor the defense and contribute to the attack. In fact, he could be an upgrade over Leon Goretzka, who struggled at times for Bayern last season.

With Konrad Laimer also arriving, the addition of Guerreiro will also have a nice side effect on the transfer market. Bayern has been linked to numerous midfielders already this spring and summer. But with extraordinarily high prices, the club can now focus those resources on signing a new no.9.

Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcastand the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth