Club ownership rules have been a hot topic in German football of late. Now Germany's biggest club has got involved, with Bayern's chairman arguing that clubs should be free to 'open the door' to new investors.
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Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (pictured, right) has called for an end to Germany's 50+1 rule, which aims to stop a single investor controlling a club.
"Everyone must decide for himself whether to open the door for new investors. You must leave the decision with the clubs if they want this," he said. "We are the last of the big five leagues in Europe to keep out investors"
Ownership by individuals is commonplace in other major European leagues, particularly the English Premier League where the majority of clubs are owned by individuals or consortia, most of whom are foreign.
Martin Kind's efforts to take control of Hanover have proved controversial. The banner reads 'Kind Must Go'Image: imago/O. Ruhnke
The 50+ 1 rule states that no single person or entity may possess more than 49 percent of the voting rights in a German club's professional football division, preventing the sale of a majority stake to outside investors, protecting clubs from irresponsible owners and maintaining the democratic nature of fan-owned German clubs. A quarter of Bundesliga clubs currently don't follow the 50+1 rule to the letter, while some clubs have been granted certain exemptions.
It has proved particularly controversial in German football over the last couple of years, with the ownership model of RB Leipzig and the situation at Hanover - where longterm financial backer Martin Kind appears set to take control of the newly-promoted outfit - leading to strong fan protests. "We should bury 50+1 and develop new regulations," Kind said.
Timo Werner's big money move from RB Leipzig to Chelsea has made the striker the most expensive German player ever. Here's a look back at the priciest moves in Bundesliga transfer history.
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Ousmane Dembele
His transfer to Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund remains the most expensive ever involving a Bundesliga club. Dortmund received €105 million (€118 million) plus further add-ons. Not bad for then 20-year-old, but Dembele hasn't quite made his mark in Spain yet.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Kirchner
Lucas Hernandez
Having secured one French World Cup winner in Benjamin Pavard, Bayern Munich snapped up another early on in 2019. Defender Lucas Hernandez joined the record Bundesliga champions for the start of the 2019/20 season for a hefty €80 million. The fee makes him both Bayern and the Bundesliga's most expensive signing.
Image: Getty Images/G. Bouys
Kevin De Bruyne
The 2015-16 Bundesliga season started with a transfer supernova as well. Wolfsburg's talented playmaker left for Manchester City for a reported €74 million. At the time, no German team had ever earned that much from a player sale. He's now regarded as one of the Premier League's best players.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/M. Rose
Naby Keita
Keita signed with RB Leipzig from Salzburg for €15million, but he only wound up playing two seasons in Germany. Why? Because Liverpool snapped him up ahead of the 2017-18 season for a reported total of €70 million. That's a pretty good profit for the Red Bull machine.
Image: Picture-Alliance/dpa/J. Woitas
Timo Werner
The Germany striker was in heavy demand, with Bayern Munich and Liverpool thought to be his most likely destinations for some time. But Premier League club Chelsea swooped in late to make Werner the most expensive German player of all time, with a fee thought to be €53 million. He has been the main man for RB Leipzig since their promotion to the top flight and leaves a big hole.
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Leroy Sane
He's rumoured to be Bayern Munich's primary target in 2020 but the winger has already been involved in one of the Bundesliga's biggest moves when he moved from Schalke to Manchester City in 2016. The fee for the Germany player was reported to be just north of €50million.
Image: Reuters/L. Smith
Granit Xhaka
Switzerland international Granit Xhaka was a nice little earner for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the summer of 2017. Having moved to Gladbach from Basel for around €8.5 million in 2012, the Foals sold him on to Arsenal for a reported €45 million. He's had a mixed time in London.
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Julian Draxler
Having joined Wolfsburg from Schalke a year earlier, in the summer of 2016, Julian Draxler decided he didn't want to play there either. He went through the motions for the first half of the season. In January 2017 he got his wish - a move to PSG worth a reported €40 million. It looks to have been a losing proposition for Wolfsburg, as they are thought to have paid €43 million for him.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Steffen
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Are those euro signs in Borussia Dortmund chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke's eyes? Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who had joined the Ruhr club from Shakhtar Donetsk for €27.5 million in 2013, moved on to Manchester United for a reported €42 million euros in the summer of 2016. He's since switched to Arsenal and is currently on loan at Roma.
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Corentin Tolisso
Bayern Munich broke their own transfer record with the €41.5 million purchase of French midfielder Corentin Tolisso from Lyon in June 2017, making him, at the time, the most expensive player ever to be brought into the Bundesliga.
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Roberto Firmino
For a short time, Brazilian Roberto Firmino held the record for the biggest sale of a Bundesliga player. In the summer of 2015, Liverpool paid Hoffenheim €41 million for his services. With a Champions League in the bag and a Premier League title almost certain to follow, they've got their money's worth.
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Javi Martinez
Bayern Munich splashed €40 million to acquire Javi Martinez from Athletic Bilbao, but it turned out to be money well spent. Martinez helped the Bavarians win multiple Bundesliga titles, the first of which came as part of a European treble.
