With three weeks remaining to do business, the Bundesliga clubs in the Champions League still have time to improve their squads. But how has it gone so far and who still needs to bring players in? DW takes a look.
Outs: Douglas Costa, Juventus (Loan made permanent €40m), Arturo Vidal, Barcelona (€18m)
More to come? New coach Niko Kovac has yet to make a significant splash in the transfer market, with Goretzka (top) having agreed terms long before his arrival and Davies considered one for the future. The Croatian's most critical bit of business to date has been persuading Robert Lewandowski to stay.With Bayern's board seemingly reluctant to spend too much, Kovac will need to work with returning loanees Serge Gnabry and Renato Sanches, to bolster a first team that's older than he may like in a few positions.
Manchester United's pacy young forward Anthony Martial was linked with Bayern for much of the window, but CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge quashed those rumors, just as Kovac did with suggestions that Ante Rebic would join his old boss. Should Jerome Boateng depart, most plausibly to Paris Saint-Germain, it's likely Bayern would step up their efforts to sign Benjamin Pavard from Stuttgart, after the defender impressed at the World Cup with France.
Schalke
Salif Sane (left) will add significant aerial presence to SchalkeImage: Imago/Eibner
Ins: Suat Serdar, Mainz (€11 m), Omar Mascarell, Real Madrid (€10m), Salif Sane, Hannover (€7m), Steven Skrzybski, Union Berlin (€3.5m), Mark Uth, Hoffenheim (free)
Outs: Benedikt Höwedes, Lokomotiv Moscow (€5m) Coke, Levante (€1.5m), Max Meyer, Crystal Palace (free), Leon Goretzka, Bayern Munich (free)
More to come? Last year's runners up strengthened early on at both ends of the pitch, with proven Bundesliga performers Sane and Uth arriving in their prime years at low cost with plenty of time to settle. Serdar and Mascarell look to be the replacements for two of Schalke's brighter performers last term, with Meyer and Goretzka both moving for free.
The Royal Blues will require greater numbers for their European campaign, with full backs and a creative midfielder as obvious areas where improvement is required. England and Spurs left back Danny Rose has been strongly linked in recent days and would offer pace and a natural width that Schalke lacked at times last term.
Hoffenheim
Vincenzo Grifo endured a tough time at Gladbach but will hope to improve at HoffenheimImage: picture-alliance/nordphoto/Straubmeier
Outs: Mark Uth, Schalke (free), Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich, end of loan)
More to come? While Julian Nagelsmann has added plenty of creativity and a little stability ahead of his final season with the club, the goals of Uth will be difficult to replace. While Andrej Kramaric looks to be staying put, a large late bid for the Croatian would put a lot of weight on the shoulders of Belfodil, whose ratio of a goal every 3.7 games while on loan at Werder Bremen last year didn't suggest he's up to the task.
With Champions League football adding to their schedule, another goalscorer seems a must. Could a season in Europe tempt Michael Gregoritsch or Alfred Finnbogason from Augsburg? Or Nils Petersen from Freiburg?
Borussia Dortmund
Image: Imago/Imaginechina/Zhong Zhenbin
Ins: Abdou Diallo, Mainz (€28m), Thomas Delaney, Werder Bremen (€20m), Axel Witsel, Tianjin Quanjian (€20m), Marius Wolf, Frankfurt (€5m), Marwin Hitz, Augsburg (free)
Outs: Andriy Yarmolenko, West Ham (€20m), Sokratis, Arsenal (€16m), Mikel Merino, Newcastle (€7m), Gonzalo Castro, Stutgart (€5m), Andre Schurrle, Fulham (loan)
More to come? It's already been a busy summer at Signal Idund Park, as the latest new Dortmund era swings in to action under Lucien Favre. There's been a clear lowering of the squad's average age but Sokratis' departure may have an effect on defensive organization, though Diallo is an exceptional prospect.
Witsel and Delaney add craft, energy and steel to a midfield that was bypassed all too easily last season, while Favre will expect more from Julian Weigl, reportedly a target for former boss Thomas Tuchel at PSG. Despite a general air of positivity over BVB's dealings, there remains an elephant in the room. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has yet to be permanently replaced and Dortmund have no natural striker.
Michy Batshuayi may still be available after a successful loan spell last term but won't come cheap, while Valencia are also tracking the Belgian. Former Cologne frontman Anthony Modeste and Brazilian youngster Pedro have also been mentioned, though some suspect Favre will opt for Max Philipp up top.
The Bundesliga's best young players XI
The Bundesliga has forged a reputation as a breeding ground for young footballing talent, and 2017-18 has been a vintage year. DW has put together an XI comprised of some of the best young talents playing in Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Steffen
GK - Timo Horn, Cologne
A bright light in the darkest of seasons for Cologne, Horn has won plaudits for his displays even as his side have conceded an average of two goals a game. Though he's 24, which makes him a year too old for what is otherwise an under-23 XI, the 2016 Olympic gold medal winner is the league's youngest goalkeeping regular. Despite relegation, he's already said he'll stay with Cologne in 2018-19.
Image: Reuters/K. Pfaffenbach
RCB - Joshua Kimmich, Bayern Munich
Bayern's title-winning squad is packed with experience but their young defender is one of their key men. Kimmich, 23, has improved his defensive work dramatically over the past couple of seasons but maintains the composure and technique that first saw him emerge as a central midfielder - he's racked up 12 assists in 28 games.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/O. J. Barroso
CB - Thilo Kehrer, Schalke
The German center back (left) has been one of several prospects to thrive under Domenico Tedesco this term. Strong in the tackle and comfortable on the ball, Kehrer, 21, has been a regular as Schalke secured passage back to the Champions League. The former Stuttgart youth teamer has also demonstrated an eye for goal of late, with a double against Augsburg on matchday 33.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Kirchner
LCB - Abdou Diallo, Mainz
Captain of the French under-21 side, Diallo (right) has been quite the capture for Mainz. The €5 million the Bundesliga side paid to bring the 22-year-old from Monaco looks sound business as he's thrived both at center back and on the left side of defense. Strong in the air, quick and a natural reader of the game, Diallo is already attracting interest from elsewhere.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A.Dedert
RM - Marius Wolf, Eintracht Frankfurt
Another bargain buy, Wolf will cost Frankfurt just €500,000 when they make his loan move from Hannover permanent in July. A hard-working and versatile player strong in one-on-one situations, Wolf, 22, has contributed five goals and nine assists in a season of over-achievement for Niko Kovac's Eagles.
Image: Reuters/K. Pfaffenbach
CM - Denis Zakaria, Gladbach
Signed last July from Young Boys in his native Switzerland, Zakaria, 21, has impressed in an underwhelming season for the Foals. Physically imposing and a smart recycler of possession, he's missed just four of Gladbach's games this year. Two of those were a result of the 10 yellow cards he's picked up, something he'll need to improve on as he develops.
Image: AFP/Getty Images/P. Stollarz
CM - Leon Goretzka - Schalke
In 2018, Goretzka's imminent free transfer to Bayern Munich has made more headlines than his performances. But in the first half of the season, he demonstrated the ability that has long seen him marked as one of Germany's brightest prospects. The 23-year-old has a good engine, excellent vision and is defensively responsible. But he'll have to step up a notch again next term.
Image: Imago/DeFodi
LM - Jadon Sancho, Borussia Dortmund
Unlike Goretzka, the English teenager has improved as the season has gone on. His early displays were marked by questionable decision-making, understandable in a player who has just turned 18, but in recent weeks his outrageous talent has shone through - he has two goals and two assists in his last four games. Even English champions Manchester City may rue letting him slip through the net.
Image: picture-alliance/Revierfoto
RW - Serge Gnabry, Hoffenheim
Another allowed to leave the Premier League - this time departing Arsenal - Gnabry has enjoyed an excellent season under Julian Nagelsmann at Hoffenheim. Deployed all across the front line, the 22-year-old, on loan from Bayern Munich, is rapid with and without the ball. He's also become increasingly decisive in the final third, scoring a goal every 152 minutes this term.
Image: picture-alliance/Pressefoto Baumann
CF - Timo Werner, RB Leipzig
Likely to be Germany's front man at the World Cup, Werner - like his club - hasn't quite been able to replicate the blistering form that brought him 21 league goals last season. Nevertheless, his searing pace and cool finishing have still seen him average just under a goal every two games. At just 22, Werner already has more than 150 Bundesliga appearances under his belt.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. Michael
LW - Leon Bailey, Bayer Leverkusen
Arguably the standout star of the first half of the campaign, the exciting Jamaican's direct, skillful wingplay has helped his club to the verge of Champions League qualification. Among many highlights was a sensational backheeled goal against Hoffenheim that will be in the running for goal of the season. His impact has alerted big clubs across Europe to the former Genk man's talents.
