Bayern Munich Chief Issues Stern Warning Over Nicolas Jackson Transfer Terms

Bayern Munich's honorary president Uli Hoeneß has maintained that he showed no disrespect toward Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson when he disclosed details about the striker's contract terms.

Jackson moved to Bayern during the late summer transfer window through a loan arrangement that features a conditional obligation for a permanent transfer. Hoeneß recently disclosed that this clause would only activate if the Senegal forward starts 40 matches, but drew criticism after laughing and saying "he'll never achieve that."

Though many viewed Hoeneß's comments as showing little confidence in a player who hasn't yet appeared for the team, Bayern's prominent leader maintained he was merely pointing out the mathematical reality that makes a permanent deal unlikely to occur.

"What frustrated me greatly is the foolishness of certain journalists," Hoeneß stated to Sky Sports Germany. "They misinterpreted my comments as though I held something against Jackson.

"These [journalists] clearly failed mathematics because I explained he won't start 40 matches. We have 32 remaining Bundesliga fixtures. Should we advance to the Champions League final, which we're hoping for, that provides 13 additional matches. The combined total is 45 games. DFB Pokal matches aren't included. Therefore, he would need to start every single one of these contests.

"He'll participate in the Africa Cup of Nations during January, making it impossible to start 40 matches, which was my point. My intention was to support Max [Eberl, sporting director], as he faced accusations for agreeing to this [purchase obligation].

"Similarly, the player and his representative helped facilitate this arrangement. That's beneficial, as it reduced the loan fee to €13.5 million. These are encouraging developments."

The Africa Cup of Nations spans from Dec. 21 through Jan. 18—a timeframe encompassing three Bundesliga matches for Bayern, excluding a fixture currently set for Dec. 20. Vincent Kompany's squad returns to Champions League competition on Jan. 21.

As Eberl notes, Jackson might miss up to five matches should Senegal advance far in the Africa Cup of Nations, requiring the striker to start virtually every available game for Bayern to even potentially trigger the €65 million (£56.2 million, $76.1 million) permanent transfer from Chelsea.