Bayern Munich failed with a late bid to sign Dani Olmo from Dinamo Zagreb, according to the Croatian club's sporting director Zoran Mamic.
Spain international Olmo joined RB Leipzig during the transfer window for a reported initial fee of €20 million.
According to Mamic, the deal, which includes bonuses and a 20 per cent sell-on clause, represents "by far" the biggest sale in Dinamo's history.
However, Mamic claims it could have held out for even more had it ignored the forward's wishes and accepted a late offer from Bayern.
"Dani didn't want to go to Italy or England," he told Sportske Novosti. "He insisted on Leipzig. If we had had more time, he would have ended up at Bayern.
"We could certainly have got more out of the deal, but it wasn't just our decision. We could have said to Dani that we didn't accept the offer from Leipzig, but that wouldn't have been fair to him."
Having missed out on Olmo, Bayern has reportedly turned its attentions towards a bid for Bayer Leverkusen star Kai Havertz with a view to a transfer at the end of the season.
The 20-year-old, who is said to be admired by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, could cost as much as €130 million according to reports in Germany.
Former Bayern midfielder Michael Ballack is not convinced Havertz is ready for such a step, though.
"At Bayern, you need other characteristics to assert yourself. Just being good is not enough there," he told Sport1 . "He needs time and the robustness to be prepared mentally for Bayern. He is still in the development phase and there are still mistakes in his game."
Comments
SHARE