Four Players Bayern Munich Should Clear out in 2015 Summer Transfer Window
The 2014-15 season may be over for Bayern Munich, but Germany's record champions are already planning their squad for the next campaign. They've already secured the signing of Joshua Kimmich, and the 20-year-old is surely not the last player they'll bring in this summer.
On the other side of things, Xherdan Shaqiri has been sold, the Switzerland international's loan move to Inter having been made into a permanent deal. Just as Kimmich will surely not be the only player to move to Munich this summer, Shaqiri definitely will not be the last to leave.
To make way for the newcomers, a few of the old guard and less successful youngsters may have to leave the Allianz Arena. And in some cases, the decisions may be difficult.
Click "Begin Slideshow" to see B/R's top four picks for Bayern to clear out this summer.
Mitchell Weiser
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When Mitchell Weiser joined Bayern from Cologne in 2012, he was a top prospect with enormous potential. The versatile wide man had starred for the Germany team that had shattered the record for goals scored at an Under-17 World Cup and arrived capable of playing on the left or right flank in midfield and defense.
Things haven't gone very well for the Troisdorf native, however, and even after a loan spell at Kaiserslautern in 2013, he struggled to make his way in Munich. As recently as last summer, he was forced to forfeit his No. 23 shirt to Pepe Reina. He was a forgotten man.
Weiser impressed in January training and played well from time to time during the spring. But his contract is set to expire at the end of June, and Bayern would be best advised not to try to pursue an extension. Much like Diego Contento before him, Weiser has some real potential to become a quality footballer, but he needs an extended period playing in order to achieve it.
Such a chance probably won't come at Bayern, where Rafinha is the undisputed first choice under Pep Guardiola. And it especially won't come if the German giants sign another option for the right side of defense, a wiser decision than to hope for the best with the still-unproven Weiser.
Claudio Pizarro
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Bayern managed to play the entire 2014-15 campaign without having to rely on a backup striker, which is a good thing when you consider that Robert Lewandowski's deputy, Claudio Pizarro, turned 36 last October.
The Peruvian is a veteran with genuine skill on the ball and a great instinct for goal, but the time has come for him to either hang up his boots or move on. Per Transfermarkt, he played just 388 minutes last season and didn't score.
If his intention is to continue playing football, he'd best leave the German giants for a test at a lower level. Otherwise, he'd probably be welcomed with open arms in another role at Bayern, be it scouting, working in the academy or otherwise.
Dante
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Bayern have a habit of keeping center-backs past their reasonable expiration date, and Dante might just stick around for another year, especially after Holger Badstuber suffered another serious injury setback in April.
Because the Germany international will have hardly played for the better portion of three years before next season begins, Bayern will need to plan with more center-backs than simply him, Jerome Boateng, Mehdi Benatia and Javi Martinez.
The simple solution would be to keep Dante on the books, but after the Brazilian's at times catastrophic 2014-15 campaign, that may be an ill-advised course. He turns 32 later this year and can be a bit too clumsy and slow to play in the high defensive line that Pep Guardiola tends to use.
He made some horrible mistakes in the Champions League over the last season, which should be enough to see him cleared out. Dante has served Bayern well, but the club would be wise to move him along before memories of him at his best are tarnished.
Bastian Schweinsteiger
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Selling Bastian Schweinsteiger would be enormously controversial, but it is both a very real possibility and a sensible decision. The Germany international has been a loyal servant to the club, and his decision to pen a six-year contract extension in 2010 will be forever remembered as a turning point in the club's history.
Yet all good things must come to an end, and at this point, it's looking like the 30-year-old's separation from the club he's represented for his entire career to date might be the best option for all parties.
As Pep Guardiola biographer Graham Hunter noted last summer on talkSPORT, the Bayern trainer is not a fan of Schweinsteiger's style of football. Guardiola wants the ball moved faster, and to that end, the vice-captain is not the best option.
Schweinsteiger is not the player he once was but still has a few years of good football left in him and could command a respectable transfer fee. If Bayern receive a good offer and can reinvest that money in a central midfielder better suited Guardiola's plans, they'd be wise to accept. Even if it hurts.
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