Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness Urges Jerome Boateng to Leave & Find a New Club
Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng has been advised to leave the reigning Bundesliga champions by club president Uli Hoeness, who has urged the 2014 World Cup winner to seek a 'new challenge' after a difficult 2018/19 season.
Boateng, who is no longer being called up by Germany coach Joachim Low, endured a fourth successive season in which he failed to play more than 20 Bundesliga games. But where in previous years he has suffered with injuries, he was often just left on the bench this time.
"I would recommend him as a friend to leave the club. He needs a new challenge. Recently he has seemed out of place," Hoeness told the German media over the weekend.
The ex-Manchester City player was a target for Paris Saint-Germain last summer and there is already speculation that he could now be of interest to Manchester United and Arsenal, having previously also been linked with both Premier League clubs in the past.
However, whether either team would actually see much value in a 30-year-old with a less than stellar fitness record over a number of years would be another matter.
Boateng spent just one season in England with Manchester City at the age of 22, playing only 24 games in all competitions, struggling to settle or nail down a regular position.
He moved to Bayern in 2011 and has won the Bundesliga title in seven of his eight seasons in Bavaria, as well four DFB Pokal trophies and the Champions League in 2013. His World Cup triumph came when Germany beat Argentina in the 2014 final in Brazil.