"?Many felt Bayern Munich would continue dominating the German Bundesliga post-Pep Guardiola with Carlo Ancelotti at the helm, but the Italian coach certainly has his work cut out in his first season it seems.
Mario Gotze is disgruntled at the Allianz-Arena and is seeking an exit, while Thiago Alcantara has a poor fitness record that means Bayern can't trust him to see a season out, so FCB are in need of new faces in the midfield.
Renato Sanchez was brought in this summer to provide a creative option on the ball, while being able to turn defence into attack due to his outstanding balance and strength. However, he's still a teenager and is sure to have his peaks and troughs with form.
Gotze is better-suited to an advanced role in the midfield but doesn't look likely of staying as a result of a lack of playing time under former manager Pep Guardiola. As for Thiago, the talented Spaniard has averaged just 29 league appearances in the last three seasons for Bayern with injuries hampering playing time.
Arturo Vidal is expected to be a regular fixture at the heart of the midfield after a bright debut season following his 2015-move from Juventus, but Ancelotti is likely to need another player through to door to strengthen his options.
Substance and industry is likely to be the preferred midfield attributes under Ancelotti, rather than the flair and technical quality under former boss Guardiola, but that means Bayern need to loosen the purse-strings this summer.