Lothar Matthaus Warns Bayern Munich Over Dembele Signing

By Max Wise

Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthaus has warned the club over the signing of Ousmane Dembele as a result of the Frenchman’s unappealing disciplinary record.

Bayern are in dire need of wingers after the exits of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben at the end of last season and Dembele has emerged as one of the potential candidates to replace the departed veterans.

Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi and Manchester City’s Leroy Sane are also tipped to arrive at the Allianz Arena but so far those moves are yet to materialize.

Barcelona have completed the signing of Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid while a move for Neymar has also been mooted, making Dembele’s place in the Camp Nou starting line-up look fragile.

Dembele’s time at Barcelona has been disrupted by injuries and disciplinary issues; the Spanish champions famously banned him from switching off his phone last December when he consistently turned up late for training and team meetings.

Dembele also went on strike during his time at Borussia Dortmund in order to force a move to Barcelona in 2017 and Matthaus has taken notice of the world cup winner’s perceived indiscipline.

"When I think about the scandals that Dembele caused at Borussia Dortmund and at Barcelona, I see no reason to believe that he would behave differently at Bayern," Matthaus told BILD.

"Uli Hoeness had a clear position against Dembele's strike at Dortmund, and if Bayern pick the player up, they would have a credibility problem," he added.