The Bavarian side’s board member for sport laid out that position in an interview with Sport BILD published on 9 September, after a window in which Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and PSG all pushed fees above €100m.

Bayern were interested. They just refused to match the number.

“Of course, we also looked at Bradley at Bayern. But when you hear sums like that, it was too much for us,” Eberl told the German outlet.

The Barcola number Bayern would not meet

Barcola’s move from PSG to Anfield was reported at around £108m. That fee sits alongside a broader nine-figure pattern at the top of the market this summer, most obviously Manchester City’s British-record-equalling £125m deal for Enzo Fernández from Chelsea on 1 September, deadline day.

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Eberl’s interest in Barcola predated Bayern. He told Sport BILD he had wanted to sign the France winger during his own time at RB Leipzig.

“Honestly, I’ve known him since my time in Leipzig. I wanted to bring him to RB.”

“We sat down together at the time and discussed it. So I had a closer relationship with Bradley.”

The relationship survived. The valuation did not.

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‘Bayern are capable of making major transfers’

Eberl was careful not to frame the Barcola decision as retreat.

“Bayern Munich is strong; the club demonstrated that with the signing of Harry Kane. If we want to and are convinced it’s the right move, Bayern Munich is capable of making major transfers.”

Kane’s arrival from Tottenham in 2023, on a base fee of around €100m, is still Bayern’s benchmark buy. This summer, they signed Luis Díaz from Liverpool for a reported €75m, a fee Eberl described as costly but on a different scale to Barcola’s.

The strategy Bayern want to stick to

Eberl tied the club’s spending to a specific plan rather than to the wider arms race.

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“Our strategy in recent years has been to sign players who enable us to win the Champions League, the German championship, and the DFB Cup. At the same time, we want to bring in young players from our academy who can grow with us.”

Bayern’s supervisory board extended Eberl’s contract earlier in September 2026, keeping in place the executive who shaped this window’s spending decisions.

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