“The plan is for him to go to the Club World Cup,” Freund said. Aznou’s loan runs until June 30, but FIFA’s special transfer window from June 1 to 10 allows Bayern to bring him back before the tournament starts in the U.S. on June 14. Valladolid, bottom of La Liga, will have finished their season by then.
Bayern’s defense is in crisis. Alphonso Davies is out for months with a knee injury, while Dayot Upamecano is sidelined with a knee issue. Hiroki Ito and Raphael Guerreiro are filling in at left-back, but Bayern needs options. Aznou, who barely featured in Bayern’s match squad in the first half of the season, has been a regular starter since moving on loan to Valladolid last January.
Freund says the loan move has helped the 18-year-old develop. “He’s taking big steps in his career. It was the right decision,” he argued. “Now he needs as much game time as possible.”
Davies will miss six to eight months after tearing his cruciate ligament. Upamecano could be out for weeks. Despite the crisis, Bayern isn’t rushing to sign replacements.
Freund says there’s “no need for action” in the transfer market. The club has been linked with 19-year-old Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen, but Freund dismissed the rumors. “That’s not something we’re looking at.”
Bayern have been drawn in Group C of the Club World Cup alongside Benfica, Boca Juniors, and Auckland City. If Aznou returns to the Bundesliga side by this summer, he could get his chance to play in an international competition sooner than expected.
