Greed leads to loss – Coman has joined Ronaldo

The saga surrounding Kingsley Coman’s future has finally come to an end. The French winger has signed for Saudi side Al Nassr, where his main teammates will be Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Joao Felix, Aymeric Laporte, Inigo Martínez, Otavio, Marcelo Brozovic... The transfer was completed for a fixed fee of 25 milion euros plus 5 milion euros in potential bonuses, while Coman will earn between 20 milion euros and 25 milion euros per season in Riyadh (depending on the source) over the next three years. This deal ranks him among Bayern’s ten most expensive outgoing transfers in history.

“We want to sincerely thank Kingsley for an exceptionally successful spell at the club,” said sporting director Max Eberl. “He engraved his name in Bayern’s history with golden letters thanks to that goal in the 2020 Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain. ‘King’ will forever be a part of our story, and we wish him all the best in his new challenge.”

Coman’s departure is the culmination of a story more than a year in the making. Last summer he was close to Saudi Arabia when Al Hilal showed serious interest, but the player himself blocked the move. In the 2023/24 season, he recorded nine goals and six assists in 45 matches, but averaged only 46 minutes per game due to injuries.

That further dropped his market value from 50 milion euros to 30 milion euros and led to a mutual conclusion that parting ways was the best option. To accelerate negotiations, Bayern lowered the asking price from last year’s 70 milion euros to the figure Al Nassr has now paid. Even though Coman declared during this summer’s Club World Cup that he wanted to stay, stressing his good relationship with coach Vincent Kompany, financial reasons ultimately prevailed behind the scenes.

The key motive – salary. Coman was earning 17 milion euros per year, and Eberl had clear instructions from the board to refresh the squad while simultaneously cutting the enormous wage bill, which had ballooned during the era of Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic. Earlier this year, Bayern had already allowed Leroy Sane to leave for Galatasaray on a free transfer precisely because of his massive wages.

The situation became even more delicate because the club had already spent 75 milion euros on Luis Diaz from Liverpool, who now remains the only natural left winger. The other option, Serge Gnabry, is also considered as a replacement for the injured Harry Kane. Jamal Musiala’s injury further reduces Bayern’s attacking depth, making it clear that the club will need to reinforce their offense – potentially with Niclas Völltemade from Stuttgart.

Al Nassr, who have failed to win a major trophy since Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival in January 2023, are aggressively strengthening this summer under Jorge Jesus. João Felix joined from Chelsea for 30 milion euros and Inigo Martinez arrived from Barcelona on a free transfer, while Coman will once again share a dressing room with Sadio Mane, who made the same move from Bayern in 2023.

In Munich, Coman will be remembered as the man who, with a single header in Lisbon in 2020, delivered Bayern their sixth Champions League title – but also as a player whose career was frequently hampered by injuries, and whose departure now stands as a symbol of Bayern’s attempt at a financial “reset” after years of heavy spending.