Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng has admitted that he was “surprised” by reports that suggested he is ready to leave the club.
Reports in the local media suggested that FCB were ready to release the centre-back at the end of his deal in June and instead make a move for France centre-back Dayot Upemcano of RB Leipzig.
Boateng, though, has been taken aback by these claims.
“Nobody approached me, nobody spoke to me, I didn't know anything about it, I was surprised,” he told Suddeutsche Zeitung when asked to react to the news.
Indeed, the 32-year-old has expressed his interest in remaining at the Allianz Arena, where he has been based since joining the club from Manchester City in 2011.
Boateng has, indeed, been a mainstay of FCB for the best part of a decade, helping the club to win eight Bundesliga titles, five DFB Pokal and a couple of Champions League crowns.
He remains an integral part of Hansi Flick’s starting XI having featured in five of their six Bundesliga matches this term. He has, however, been relegated to the bench in two of their three Champions League fixtures.
Bayern’s defence faces a potentially significant overhaul in the summer. Versatile defender David Alaba is out of contract in June and is struggling to agree fresh terms with the Champions League winners, with a very public spat developing between the two parties in the media.
Boateng, meanwhile, is not involved in Germany’s Nations League matches over the course of the coming week, having been overlooked once again by head coach Joachim Low. He favours a younger side and the veteran defender could suffer a similar fate in his club side.
He had been capped 76 times by Germany and scored a single goal, which arrived in Euro 2016 in a 3-0 victory over Slovakia in the last-16 stage.
The highlight of his international career, however, was when he was involved in the team that launched a successful bid for the 2014 World Cup, defeating Argentine 1-0 in the final. During that competition, he notably played against brother Kevin-Prince’s Ghana side.