Five Bundesliga players who could move in January

The Bundesliga regularly produces some of the biggest stars in European football.

Widely regarded as a league that develops elite talent, the German top flight is one of the favourite hunting grounds of Europe’s biggest clubs. The year 2025 will certainly be no different.

While summer windows are generally the busiest, January could be a period of significant transfer activity as there are several high-profile players in the Bundesliga who are either thinking about taking the next step or who are unhappy about their lack of minutes.

Below, FootballTransfers looks at five Bundesliga players who could move in January…

READ MORE: Five La Liga players who could move in January

Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)

Bayer Leverkusen will be wary of losing players in January after recently closing the gap to Bayern Munich, but Jonathan Tah could yet make a premature exit.

Out of contract in the summer, the Germany international has made transfer headlines since the summer when he was determined to join Bayern but Bayer refused to budge from a valuation their Bavarian counterparts were unwilling to meet.

Tah has already confirmed that he won’t extend his deal and has been in – quite public – negotiations with Barcelona, while Real Madrid are also interested and Bayern remain keen.

Leverkusen insist that they will not sell Tah in January, but it is difficult to imagine that they would actually turn their nose up at a transfer fee if one of his suitors offered to bring his summer move forward by six months.

READ MORE: When does the 2025 January transfer window open and close?

Kiliann Sildillia (Freiburg)

Two seasons ago, France youth international Kiliann Sildillia was one of the hottest properties in German football. The versatile defender, capable of playing at centre-back and right-back, enjoyed an impressive 2022/23 campaign.

However, last term, his form significantly dipped. Repeated mistakes began creeping into his game and he eventually lost his place in the side. In the summer, the player was keen on leaving Freiburg amid reported interest from Marseille and Wolfsburg.

No move ultimately materialised and he has failed to reclaim his place in the side. Sildillia has been rarely seen this season and looks set to leave Freiburg in January.

Florian Grillitsch (Hoffenheim)

Florian Grillitsch has had a strange few years. The Austria international used to be a key player at Hoffenheim and wanted to take the next step in his career, which prompted him to join Ajax in 2022.

His move to Amsterdam was a disaster, however, and he returned to his former club just a year later. He swiftly won back his place and started the current season as an important player once more.

Things change quickly in football, though, and the 29-year-old was told by new coach – and compatriot – Christian Ilzer that he was surplus to requirements when he took over in November, which means that he is now looking for a new club.

Mathys Tel (Bayern Munich)

Bayern Munich youngster Mathys Tel signed a new contract with the club in the spring of 2024 after having been promised significant game time for the upcoming campaign.

Fast forward to the winter and the promised minutes haven’t materialised. Vincent Kompany has only afforded the Frenchman rare opportunities to show off his talents and the player is naturally unhappy about this.

Tel was previously linked with the likes of Man Utd and Chelsea, but at this point, a loan move to a Bundesliga club appears more likely, with Werder Bremen and Stuttgart interested.

Ruben Vargas (Augsburg)

Swiss winger Ruben Vargas has been a reliable player for middling Augsburg for years and he is determined to take the next step in his career. Already in the summer, after an impressive Euro 2024 campaign, the attacker was keen to leave.

Nothing came of his transfer desire at the time, but 2025 will be a different story. His contract is up in the summer and Augsburg are thought to be open to selling him in January.

The Bundesliga side are demanding around €2m-€3m for Vargas, who has admirers at Sevilla, Villarreal, Eintracht Frankfurt and Monchengladbach.