Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel wanted to sign Arsenal duo Declan Rice and Kai Havertz before they ended up at the Emirates this summer.
That’s according to SportBILD, relayed by FCB Inside, who say the German coach presented both players as ones he wanted in initial talks with Bayern over replacing Julian Nagelsmann.
The newspaper explains that Tuchel was straight to the point when Bayern first approached him about joining nine months ago.
According to their information, Tuchel made it clear to Bayern’s bosses that if he were to replace Nagelsmann then he would want specific players brought into the club.
He presented these options during a ‘spontaneous secret meeting’ with Bayern and sports director Hasan Salihamidzic on March 21st of this year and the Arsenal duo were among the names he put forward.
Havertz eventually joined Arsenal for €75m while Mount went to Manchester United.
Rice, meanwhile, was starring for West Ham United and Tuchel ‘explicitly requested’ his signature alongside that of Harry Kane, presumably after watching the pair in the Premier League. Indeed, SportBILD quote him as saying “I want Harry Kane and Declan Rice”.
In the end, he was only granted half of this wish as Kane made the move to Bavaria, but Rice went to Arsenal.
The latter had been tempted by the offer from Bayern, though, and even had a meeting with the club where he ‘signalled’ that he could imagine making the move.
In the end he ‘preferred to move to Arsenal’ and ended up costing them €121.8m, a deal that they’re by no means disappointed by at this point and one Bayern are probably regretting they couldn’t get done themselves.
