Former Reds goalkeeper Loris Karius is without a club – but this could change quickly. – The 32-year-old has been without a club since leaving Newcastle after his contract expired at the end of the 2023/24 season.
In his early days at Mainz, Karius was a distinct talent who even became their youngest ever goalkeeper to play in a Bundesliga match. His impressive performances attracted interest from Liverpool, who signed the German in 2016 for £4.75 million on a five-year deal and were given the number one shirt at Anfield.
Read: Liverpool could still make giant signings in January even star trio sign new contract
Unfortunately, his time at Liverpool will forever be overshadowed by two major mistakes in the 2017 Champions League final against Real Madrid in Kiev, Ukraine. A loan spell at Besiktas between 2018 and 2020 followed before a brief stint at Union Berlin.
He then joined Newcastle in 2022 but only played once – in the 2023 Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester United.
Will start negotiations as soon as tonight’s Champions League match at the VELTINS-Arena against Shakhtar Donetsk is over.
According to reports from BILD, Bayern Munich are “strongly considering” signing the player now.
Manuel Neuer (rib fracture) and second-choice goalkeeper Sven Ulreich (personal reasons) are currently unavailable. As a result, Bayern can in the market for a backup goalkeeper, one who can start immediately.
Daniel Peretz has been trusted to fill in for the time being, but a more experienced manager may be needed.
In a speech on Monday, Bayern boss Vincent Kompany revealed that he hopes to have Neuer back by January.
But the Bavarians can’t afford to wait until January; they need a short-term one and that’s Loris Karius actually playing second fiddle to Peretz.
Kompany’s side are currently at the top of the Bundesliga, but are in 13th place in the 36-team Champions League group stage ahead of tonight’s game against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Karius opened up about his future ambitions when he spoke to SPORTbible in November.
“I was hoping to get a good opportunity in the summer, where I could have a chance to play again,” he said.
“I chose not to travel to Saudi Arabia, for example. Being so far away from my family would have been difficult.
“I’ve talked to teams, but in the end it didn’t work out. There were advanced talks with a team in Italy, but it didn’t happen, which was sad at the time.”
The 31-year-old went on to reveal that he was even considering retiring, but insisted that he hadn’t decided on his future yet.
Of course, playing for Germany’s most successful club and six-time European champions, Bayern, will appeal to most players.
Read: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia negotiates giant salary and deterrent buyout clause
