Bayern Munich and Dortmund in race for Southampton star

The Bavarians are monitoring the market for a new defender.

Southampton defender Armel Bella-Kotchap has reportedly attracted interest from both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

The German star secured an €11 move to Southampton from Bochum last summer. But it seems that the Bundesliga’s biggest clubs are keen to return him to the league.

According to Sky Germany, Bayern representatives have already enquired about the 21-year-old. Dortmund, on the other hand, have come forward with a loan offer for Bella-Kotchap.

Following his move to Saint Mary’s last season, Bella-Kotchap quickly established his place in Southampton’s backline. He made a total of 26 appearances for the club as they suffered relegation to the Championship. Bella-Kotchap has also earned two caps with Germany recently.

Bayern have reportedly reached an agreement with Inter to sell Benjamin Pavard. However, they are not planning to give the final green light for the move before finding a replacement for the Frenchman.

Pavard has played both as a right-back and a centre-back for Bayern. But the Bavarians could prefer a move for a versatile full-back instead of adding another centre-back to the likes of Kim Min-jae, Matthijs de Ligt, and Dayot Upamecano. Fulham star Kenny Tate is also on Bayern’s list, with the defender having a year left on his current contract.