Bayern Munich are set to become "the most expensive Bayern team of all time" according to Bild, who report that the Bundesliga champions have to pay close to 180 million euros in salaries for players and coaching staff.
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Bayern spent some 37 million euros in transfer fees during the final days of the summer transfer period when they signed Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso, Roma's Medhi Benatia, and Gladbach youngster Sinan Kurt, with the trio elevating the total summer spend to just above 50 million euros.
Earlier in the summer, Pep Guardiola's side signed Pepe Reina from Liverpool and Juan Bernat from Valencia for a total of some 13 million euros, while Robert Lewandowski and Sebastian Rode joined the club on free transfers. They also sold a number of players, and collected large transfer fees for Toni Kroos and Mario Mandzukic.
Yet, on Friday, tabloid Bild reported that the new signings, along with new contracts for key players like Thomas Muller and Philipp Lahm, have now increased the wage bill for players and coaching staff to 180 million euros -- a 30 million-euro rise from the 2013 treble-winning team under Jupp Heynckes.
"Pep now has the most expensive Bayern team in history. With this super sum the longing for three titles is automatically high," Bild commented.
Meanwhile, Sebastian Rode told Munchener Merkur that he is not afraid of the competition at Bayern, and is living the dream after joining on a free transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt.
Critics have compared the 23-year-old holding midfielder to the likes of Jan Schlaudraff, Jan Kirchhoff or Alexander Baumjohann -- who all failed to win minutes at Die Roten -- after having signed for the club as squad players hopeful of winning a starting role. All three soon moved on, but the club's sporting director Matthias Sammer thinks Rode could become a mainstay at the club.
"Of course that question came up quite often. Do I really believe I can make it at Bayern? And they reported that I won't stand a chance, and, yes, that sucks," Rode said.
"Of course, Matthias Sammer told me that there will be tough competition, but I wanted to make that step and have that experience. When I hear Baumjohann and all the other names, I say: "Everyone's different, and everyone should get a fair chance first."
Rode admitted that reality at Bayern already exceeds his wildest imaginations. "I expected everything to be bigger, but experiencing it in reality blows your mind," he said. "3,000 fans at a public training, and even in the United States they all scream. Sometimes you feel like a popstar, usually only seeing that on the telly when Justin Bieber appears somewhere."
Rode started in holding midfield alongside Xabi Alonso in Bayern's 1-1 draw at Schalke, and despite setting up Robert Lewandowski for the opening goal of the night, the youngster explained he had no time to rest on his laurels.
"Xabi signed, and was on the pitch with us the next, and I can only say that it's impressive to see the class and the aura of a player. But if were to pinch myself everyday just because of my colleagues, I would not get far," he said.
"Of course, you are bit excited to find out what kind of character that is," Rode said of his first meeting with Alonso. "But even Cristiano Ronaldo said that he would have never sold him at Real. That just shows what a good lad he has to be. Generally speaking, there is no need to wet your pants. He's another colleague, and I learn a lot from him."