Ribery future up in the air as Bayern delay contract call

Joe Wright

Ribery future up in the air as Bayern delay contract call image

Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is refusing to offer any guarantees over the future of Franck Ribery.

The 35-year-old winger's contract expires at the end of the season and it is unclear whether he will be offered an extension.

Ribery has enjoyed huge success since joining the club from Marseille in 2007, most notably inspiring them to a treble of Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League wins in 2012-13, but injury problems have restricted his impact in recent seasons.

Rummenigge plans to hold talks with the player but admits he is unsure what the outcome will be.

"We've had some amazing years thanks to him. I have huge respect for Franck," he told Eurosport.

"You have to be open and honest. At some point, we'll have a conversation with him and his agent and then make a joint decision. I can't predict what that will be."

Ribery came off the bench in Friday's 3-2 win at Augsburg for his 16th Bundesliga appearance of the campaign.

Veteran team-mate Arjen Robben, also 35, has already confirmed this season will be his last at Bayern.

Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic appeared to suggest back in December that Ribery would be heading the same way as Robben.

He told Sport Bild when asked about Ribery and plans for Bayern in 2019: “The president talked about it [the possibility of leaving], and I think it will be like that. It's a year of changes.”

That statement may end up applying to others and not Ribery, with there still a chance that his association with his current club will be extended.

Joe Wright

Joe Wright is a Senior Editor at Sporting News, managing global soccer and the UK team. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has extensive experience covering some of the biggest events in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup, which included the final in Moscow.