In 2014 Bayern Munich transferred Toni Kroos for an estimated amount of  EUR 25 million to Real Madrid - an amount which from today's perspective can be considered a bargain. In the meanwhile, Kroos has become and four times Champions League winner and World Champion with the German team. 

Toni Kroos' close friend Stefan Reinhartz stated in an interview later that Kroos would have liked to extend his contract with Bayern but did not feel that he was appreciated enough by the Bayern management. As so often appreciation of a soccer player is measured in cash and apparently Bayern did not want to match the salary of Mario Götze back then. 

Four years later another World Champion is appearing to leave Bayer Munich and again the reason doesn't seem to lie mainly in the sportive performance of the player.

Source: Jerome Boateng

Boateng has been highly succesfull in the last year and andoubtedly one of the best central defenders in the world. He is also a player popular with the fan base - but has also developed his own brand besides his existence as a Bayern Player. In the past, Bayern CEO Rummenigge is said to have had several disagreements with Boateng, lastly because of his cooperation with rap star Jay-Z, who is helping Boateng with marketing. 

Apparently, the club would accept a transfer for a transfer payment of about EUR 50m. But what does this mean for Bayern?

Firstly, the departure of 29 year old Boateng would most likely be a weakening of their sporting performance. In the last season Boateng was missing during all of the season's 6 compulsory game defeats - except for the defeat against Real Madrid. But even in that game Bayern was 1:0 ahead when Boateng had to leave the game. It will clearly be difficult to replace him one to one.

Secondly, it sends a clear message to all current and future players: "You are not more important than the club." While this might be a message popular with the fan base, it seems questionable if this is the right strategy to attract world class players, which Bayern Munich will need if they want to continue playing on a top level in Europe.