Man City star claims Bayern Munich tried to sign him this summer but the club refused to sell

A member of Manchester City's treble-winning side has revealed the club knocked back an offer from Bayern Munich over the summer.

City won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League last season and became the first team since bitter rivals Manchester United in 1999 to do so.

Pep Guardiola's men dominated on all fronts, establishing the former noisy neighbours as European football's dominant force.

However, Guardiola knew it was time to let some players move on.

Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte moved to Saudi Pro League sides Al Ahli and Al Nassr, while Ilkay Gundogan joined Barcelona and Cole Palmer sealed a transfer to Chelsea.

One man not permitted to leave was backup goalkeeper Stefan Ortega despite his lack of game time.

Since arriving from Arminia Bielefeld in 2022, Ortega has only featured in four Premier League games.

With Ederson the clear first-choice, Ortega's only start this season came in October's 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

The 31-year-old found himself on the radar of Bundesliga champions Bayern, who needed a new goalkeeper after Manuel Neuer suffered a broken leg in February.

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Ortega told DAZN in a recent interview: "You could see that when Bayern showed interest and all parties [at Man City] said quite openly: ‘We’re not letting Stefan go now.'"

Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel opted to start Sven Ulreich until Neuer made his long-awaited return to action last month.

Ortega did play every minute of City's FA Cup campaign in 22/23, including the final against United at Wembley in June.

He still hopes to be a number one again, whether at the Etihad Stadium or elsewhere.

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"The good thing is that the fire is still burning inside me," he continued. "I still realise that it triggers me when I’m on the bench, for example.

"I think I took a huge step last year by not only getting the cup games but also the [Champions League group] game in Dortmund."

City return to action against RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

Ortega could get the nod in goal, with City already qualified from Group G and a game with Tottenham Hotspur coming up. Guardiola may use the midweek fixture as an opportunity to rotate his team.

Topics: Manchester City, Premier League, Bayern Munich, Stefan Ortega

Daniel Marland

Daniel is a social editor for SPORTbible after moving from the writing team. Nearly scored past Stormzy at Old Trafford once.

@DanMarland_