The German champions have not yet come close to such a fee for a single player but are confident they have the financial muscle to compete in the market
Bayern Munich executive board member Jan-Christian Dreesen has admitted the club could spend €100 million on a star name.
The Bundesliga champions have so far refused to match La Liga and Premier League giants when it comes to spending big in the transfer market, with the arrival of Javi Martinez for €40 million in 2012 still their record outlay.
However, Dreesen has acknowledged they could emulate the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United and pay figures closer to the world-record fee of Gareth Bale for a top individual.
“It would be simple to say Bayern would never pay €100 million for one player. I don’t want to go there, though, because I do not like to backtrack in the future. So yes, Bayern could spend €100m on one player,” Dreesen, the club’s head of finances, told Kicker.
“It will have to be an intelligent investment, though. We don’t just want to go for the most expensive players. Someone has to fit in at Bayern.”
Player wages have increased exponentially along with transfer fees in recent seasons but Bayern claim salaries of €10m per year and more are unusual at the Allianz Arena.
While Dreesen is confident wages are no stumbling block for the club, he concedes they could miss out on signing players driven purely by thoughts of a big pay packet.
“Players making €10m or more remain an exception, even though I think wages will continue to rise,” Dreesen said. “I have yet to see a player demand wages that we could not afford. I get the impression that the coach’s advice on which players would fit at Bayern is very important.
“The top players are significantly more expensive than before. And with the Premier League’s new TV deal, wages will not decrease any time soon. So Bayern will have to look after these players even more intensively than before. We might miss out on those who are only looking to make a lot of money.”