How Much Is Bayern Munich's Philipp Lahm Worth in the Current Transfer Market

Bayern Munich may need some serious restructuring this summer, given the advancing years of several star players. Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Xabi Alonso are all in their 30s, and most are past their natural physical peak. Moreover, all but Alonso have proven to be rather injury-prone this season, a characteristic that can be expected with age.

Having won only the Bundesliga but failing to convince consistently in the Champions League, DFB-Pokal or even domestic league games against the strongest rivals (their record was three wins from 10 Bundesliga matches against Wolfsburg, Borussia Monchengladbach, Bayer Leverkusen, Augsburg and Schalke), a summer overhaul is entirely possible as a means to reinvigorate the squad.

As Matthias Sammer recently stated, Bayern may need to make some big decisions regarding the future of some of their most loyal and longstanding staff. Speaking to BT Sport (via Daily Mail), the sporting director said the club would have to look ahead, specifically commenting on Lahm: "It is true that Lahm is contracted until 2018 as are Alonso and Bastian until 2016, but we have to make plans [for the club's future] before it is too late."

Bayern not only have to consider the quality of a player occupying a position in their team, but the wages he earns. Per Sport Bild (in German), Ribery, Robben, Lahm and Schweinsteiger earn a combined €40 million per year. Alonso's contract accounts for a further €8 million, according to Bild. Suffice to say, Bayern cannot afford to bring in new stars or expensive transfer fees and high wages while also paying their veterans upwards of €50 million per year to ride the bench as substitutes.

Ultimately, the verdict will have to depend on financial risk vs. reward. To that end, it's worthwhile to understand the value of captain Philipp Lahm.

A Munich native and graduate of the Bayern academy, Lahm is a fan favorite at the Allianz Arena. The veteran turns 32 this November, however, and although undoubtedly the best full-back in the world in 2013, he has not quite been the same since moving into midfield at the beginning of Pep Guardiola's tenure at Bayern.

Making matters worse, Lahm sustained an ankle fracture last November that kept him out of action for about four months. He was badly burned for pace by Luis Suarez in the first leg of Bayern's Champions League semifinal tie with Barcelona. That, coupled with him, Alonso and Schweinsteiger all advancing in their 30s and offering similar ball-playing qualities without much attacking gusto, is cause for concern over his future at the Allianz Arena.

If we consider Lahm a midfielder, his transfer-market value may be quite respectable in spite of his age. Alonso was a year older than Lahm at the time of his signing and had two years left on his Real contract. Bayern paid €10 million to secure his services, per Transfermarkt. However, Alonso at the time was in very good standing, having won the Champions League with Real Madrid shortly before.

At the same time, he was a bit of a "panic buy" following the departure of Toni Kroos, with Bayern in uncharacteristic fashion snapping him up only days before the transfer window closed last summer. That may have cost Bayern a fair bit of value on their investment.

Compared with other aging full-backs, Lahm's value may be found to be considerably less. Not long ago, Patrice Evra was widely considered the best left-back in the world. He left Manchester United last summer at a relatively low point in his career, much like Lahm's current state, with Juventus paying just €1.5 million for his services, according to Transfermarkt.

There are, however, two relevant pieces of information to consider in Evra's case. The Frenchman had just one year left on his contract (although this has less of an effect on value for players well into their 30s), and at the time was some 18 months older than Lahm is now.

In Lahm's situation, ultimately, the question of valuation would depend greatly on perception and Bayern's salesmanship, as well as the player's wage demands.

If the Munich giants were willing to sell him and he would prefer a wage cut to potentially riding the bench, there would be more prospective buyers willing to pay more in a transfer fee. If prospective clubs see him as a player who, still before his 32nd birthday, has a few years left at a high level in spite of his ankle injury, his value will be more in the realm of Alonso's: €10 million.

On the other hand, if Lahm is seen as a risk given his wages and how difficult it can be for a player of his age to recover the full extent of his abilities following such a bad injury, the best offer may only be in the €3-5 million range. Still, many ambitious clubs would hugely benefit from Lahm's leadership at the very least, and it would be a surprise if he weren't valued as well as Alonso was a year ago.

This all could be a purely academic discussion, as Lahm may well spend the remainder of his career in Munich. But as Sammer said, decisions have to be made—decisions he may not like.

If Bayern break the bank to sign Marco Verratti, it would likely spell the end for at least one of their aging midfielders, and that could be Lahm.

The good news is, he's unlikely to be valued in the Evra range and, for the freed wages in addition to his transfer fee, could fetch a very respectable sum for his hometown club.

@Mr_Bundesliga