Southampton defender Armel Bella-Kotchap has an agreement in place with Bayern Munich and is now waiting for the two clubs to do the same.
That’s according to journalist Patrick Berger, who says Borussia Dortmund have dropped out of the race, leaving the pathway clear for their rivals.
Bella-Kotchap has been linked with a move away from Southampton all summer following their relegation to the Championship last season and there has been plenty of interest in him.
Both Dortmund and Bayern have explored the possibility of a move over the last few weeks, with them partaking in something of a tug of war over the Southampton man.
A deal taking him back to Germany is yet to happen but Berger reports that he ‘could now actually move to Bayern’ on deadline day.
The centre-back has an agreement in place with the German champions and has boxed off that part of the deal so is now waiting for Southampton and Bayern to reach an agreement of their own.
Whether they can remains to be seen, with the Saints proving tough negotiators this summer and seemingly not keen on letting Bella-Kotchap leave in any deal that doesn’t suit them 100%.
🚨 Nachdem der #BVB aus dem Rennen ausgestiegen ist, könnte Armel Bella-Kotchap (21/🇩🇪) jetzt tatsächlich zu den Bayern wechseln. Der Innenverteidiger ist sich mit dem Rekordmeister einig, wartet jetzt auf Einigung der Vereine… @kerry_hau
— Patrick Berger (@berger_pj) September 1, 2023
