Why Bayern Munich Should Make Kevin De Bruyne a Leading Transfer Target

Kevin de Bruyne's name has been rife in the rumor mill in recent days, ever since his agent confirmed to PSG fan-site Canal Supporters (h/t German source Bild) that Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City were interested in the Belgian midfielder's services, with the former having even made a phone call to ask about his availability.

Agent Patrick de Koster did an about-face on Sunday, echoing his words around international media (via InsideFutbol.com) that there has been no contact with Bayern. He even went so far as to say he doubted even a big club like the German champions, PSG or City could convince Wolfsburg to sell him, reminding the world that his client has a contract with the Lower Saxony side that is valid until the end of June, 2019.

However, there rarely is smoke without at least a little fire. And it would be no surprise if Bayern were indeed keen to sign De Bruyne. The 23-year-old has taken huge strides in his career this season and would be a perfect fit in Pep Guardiola's team.

Wolfsburg are not known as a big international side, and their players perhaps have not always been given the recognition they would garner if they were to ply their trade at a more reputable club. But the fact is, De Bruyne could easily be playing in the Champions League right now. Bild broke the news in May of 2013 that De Bruyne had agreed to terms of a five-year contract with Borussia Dortmund after the sale of Mario Gotze, but the player later confirmed to Sport-Bild (h/t ESPN) that Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho had blocked the move. Perhaps the Portuguese trainer knew too well of De Bruyne's talent and was not quite ready to let him go.

After languishing for half a year on the Chelsea bench, De Bruyne finally left for Wolfsburg. And in a full calendar year, he's shown all the class many at Stamford Bridge had expected of him. He was arguably Belgium's best player at the World Cup and now leads the Bundesliga in assists with 10. During 2014, he recorded a total of 20 assists and nine goals in 43 appearances, with some of his best performances coming against BVB and in the Europa League.

Having De Bruyne in the role of playmaker has been huge for Wolfsburg, who despite playing without a striker of notable quality (their main frontman is Ivica Olic who, despite playing very well for Bayern a few years ago, is now 35 years of age), are second in the Bundesliga table at the winter break. Not bad, considering the German league has three teams below Wolfsburg in the table that have qualified for the Champions League round of 16.

Bayern would have to make a huge investment to land De Bruyne, considering the duration of the player's contract at the Volkswagen-Arena. It would be a long shot and would not exactly be the best signing from a public-relations perspective, with many critics seeing Bayern as not bringing in enough foreign stars and promoting talent from the Munich area and instead using their competitors to produce their players before snapping them up.

In reality, however, De Bruyne is Belgian and Wolfsburg will get little sympathy from fans, the club having paid €22 million to sign the player themselves. The Wolves enjoy very modest support in Germany, lacking the tradition of most Bundesliga clubs and having only obtained their money (and with it, their recent success) through Volkswagen's "artificial" injection of cash. Bayern poaching De Bruyne would not be regarded in the same way as their previous acquisitions of Gotze and Robert Lewandowski.

As a player, De Bruyne has all the characteristics that suit the modern game and would make him a perfect fit under Guardiola. He is a very well-rounded player, one with the "total football" attributes that are applicable in any setting. He can play anywhere in midfield: On either wing, as a playmaker or even in a deeper role.

De Bruyne has great class on the ball and as a result gravitates towards the center, where he can have more touches and influence the game the most. But as a playmaker, he's not the "classic" No. 10 like Mesut Ozil. He's more the modern type, capable of a more all-round style of play and not unlike Luka Modric. To this end, he's much more difficult to counter: If one aspect of his game is ineffective or nullified, he can switch roles to have another effect.

Much like other "midfielders" at Bayern, like Thiago Alcantara, David Alaba, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Pierre Hojbjerg, Sebastian Rode and Javi Martinez, De Bruyne can play in a variety of positions. He's a bit of a dream for a coach like Pep Guardiola. And one that could be useful in the very near future.

Something surely on the minds of the bosses at Bayern is the fact that Arjen Robben will turn 31 years of age in just a few weeks, and Franck Ribery will be 32 before season's end. Both have played extremely well this season, but sooner or later, both will be past their best. The exact time when a player is no longer capable of delivering at the highest level is hard to predict exactly, and the drop can be very sharp. In many instances, it's not even noticeable in ordinary games, the gulf in class only showing in latter-stage Champions League games or at the World Cup (see Spain).

Ribery and Robben's natural decline will come sooner or later, though, and Bayern would do well to have De Bruyne available, lest they be forced to settle for high prices and low selection in the winter market or reach the Champions League semifinals only to realize that their stars are past their best. The Belgian is young, talented and due to his versatility, even more applicable in Guardiola's system than the current wingers. His agent may claim it to be difficult to convince Wolfsburg to sell, but Bayern have used money to force a deal before, and in this case could yet do the same. Ribery and Robben are priceless, so any player who could replace either would have to be considered worth any price.

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