Man Utd’s hopes of landing one of their summer transfer targets on a free transfer have taken a serious hit after Fabrizio Romano revealed Bayern Munich are now in pole position.
Utd had grown “increasingly confident” of securing Tah in recent weeks, amid mounting uncertainty over their defensive options.
With Victor Lindelof expected to leave this summer, and ongoing concerns over Matthijs de Ligt’s fitness amid a number of other injuries, defensive reinforcements are a top priority for INEOS this summer.
Defence isn’t the only priority, as the Red Devils are looking to move early in the market to secure their top targets, including Wolves forward Matheus Cunha.
Tah, 29, is viewed as one of the most experienced and dependable defenders on the market. And with his contract up at the end of the season, he had emerged as a serious candidate for a reshaped Man Utd backline under Ruben Amorim.
But Bayern Munich have now made their move.
According to Romano, the Bavarian giants have submitted a full proposal for Tah, including a complete salary package, and have now received internal approval to press ahead.
The only thing left, Romano said on X, is a green light from the player himself.
“Bayern formal proposal to Jonathan Tah has been approved internally at the club, salary included,” Romano confirmed.
“Green light needed from the player in order to close the deal and get it done, as final crucial step. Up to Jonathan Tah.”
Barcelona were also linked earlier this year but are now out of the race. Romano confirmed the Catalan side have no intention of moving for the Germany international, citing their wealth of centre-back options as the reason. “Not because of FFP,” he added, “but because they have many centre-backs.”
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Real Madrid, Tah’s current boss Xabi Alonso’s new home, are reportedly focused on other targets. And that leaves Bayern, once again, looking likely to poach a top performer from a direct Bundesliga rival.
It’s a hammer blow to Utd, who were one of the first English clubs to seriously explore the free-agent opportunity and saw Tah as an ideal blend of experience, physicality and leadership.
His 400+ appearances for Leverkusen, capped off by a historic unbeaten title-winning season last term, had put him firmly on the radar of INEOS chiefs.
Tah himself confirmed earlier this year that his decision to leave Leverkusen had already been made.
“Definitely,” he said when asked if he would leave at season’s end.
“I made the decision not to renew my contract and to stick with it. That’s the case now. The club knows about it. Everything has been said from the beginning.”
But there remains a flicker of hope for Utd. If Amorim’s side can secure Champions League football by lifting the Europa League, they could re-enter the frame with a more attractive sporting package.
But for now, Bayern are firmly in control.