August 23 – After being consulted twice by German media outlet Bild, a Bayern spokesperson has denied the earlier report by The Athletic that suggested team coach Kompany had confirmed to defender De Ligt that he is the top defender in the team.
Previously, The Athletic reported that a source close to De Ligt claimed that the De Ligt camp felt Bayern was “playing word games” when discussing his future and hoped he would leave. De Ligt met with new coach Kompany to ask why he felt he was being sold. According to the De Ligt camp, Kompany told De Ligt that he was not responsible for this decision and that De Ligt was his “top defender.” They believed that the board had made the choice to facilitate his departure.
Following this, when both The Athletic and Bild sought verification of this rumor from Bayern officials, the official spokesperson denied it twice.