Bayern work on goalkeeper problem with Sommer approaching

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It might be part of Oliver Kahn's valuable experiences gained through a long career to keep his emotions under control in stormy times.

Ahead of a crunch Bundesliga match against RB Leipzig this Friday, the 53-year-old Bayern chairman ostentatiously played down the Bavarians' goalkeeper problem after the loss of Manuel Neuer's winter accident.

As if there is always a solution, the 2001 Champions League winner praised the reigning German champions' backup keeper Sven Ulreich, while negotiations to sign Switzerland national keeper Yann Sommer from Borussia Monchengladbach seem to be in their final stages.

Aside from Kahn's calmness, it is an open secret Bayern will invest after Neuer suffered a broken leg and will be sidelined until next summer. The chairman's statement is part of the show as he said: "We have no significant goalkeeper problem."

Now a satisfying solution seems to emerge after Bayern failed to succeed with four previous bids for 34-year-old Sommer.

With Monchengladbach having agreed a deal to sign Sommer's likely successor Jonas Omlin, all that remains is for the transfer fee for the Swiss to be decided.

Bayern might not be happy about having to pay up to ten million euros for Sommer, but the 2020 treble winners may feel they have to invest in order to try to win this season's UEFA Champions League.

Facing Paris Saint-Germain in mid-February and early March in the round of last 16 without an experienced keeper is unimaginable for Kahn and coach Julian Nagelsmann.

Reports in Germany, France, and Switzerland now speak of all dominoes inevitably falling into place before kick-off in Leipzig.

While Leipzig hope to make Bayern struggle and reduce the gap between the two clubs to only three points, Kahn is keeping the bigger picture in mind.

Ulreich might do the job in Leipzig all right, but to withstand the force of French genius Kylian Mbappe and 2022 World Cup winner Lionel Messi is a different story from Kahn's perspective.

Neither Kahn nor sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic have forgotten Neuer's crucial saves in Bayern's most recent duel against PSG.

To cover all three important club competitions such as German Cup, the Bundesliga and the Champions League, it apparently takes every possible man.

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