5 most valuable players in the Bundesliga currently

The Bundesliga's stock as a top European league has only risen over the years. Not for nothing are the current European champions, Bayern Munich, from the league. However, even though Bayern's hegemony on the league is well chronicled, it does not mean the other teams in the Bundesliga are shorn of quality.

More often than not, the other top clubs in the league, such as Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, produce quality players that are often snatched by the other biggies of Europe, including Bayern. Cases in point include Kevin De Bruyne, who moved to Manchester City from Wolfsburg, and Roberto Firmino, who moved from Hoffenheim to Liverpool.

These two are lighting up the Premier League right now, but it is not only because of them that Bundesliga has developed the reputation of being a feeder league. Even Bayern has failed to hold on to stars like Toni Kroos for whom the lure of Real Madrid was too much to resist.

As this article is composed, another top Bundesliga star, Kai Havertz, is inching closer to a shift to England with Chelsea, while Timo Werner has already joined the London club after a great season with RB Leipzig.

There are several other hot prospects in the league, some who have shifted there as its standards improve every season and others who might be angling for a move away after impressing in Germany. In this article, we take a look at the five most valuable players in Bundesliga right now.

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#T5. Erling Braut Haaland (£64.80 million)

Erling Haaland.

To a huge extent, the early part of last season belonged to Erling Braut Haaland, the Norwegian wunderkind, who seemed to be scoring goals at will whenever he played.

For Red Bull Salzburg, Haaland set the Champions League on fire, becoming the first teenager to net in the first four Champions League games he played. Not only did he keep on scoring whenever he turned out for the Austrian outfit, but he also made a habit of netting hat-tricks regardless of the competition.

He went on to score in each of his first five matches, joining elite company in doing so. Salzburg had the hottest young striker in their ranks and Haaland made the obvious move to the bigger Bundesliga in the winter transfer window, switching to Dortmund and continuing his astonishing goal-scoring spree in Germany.

He has already netted 16 times in 18 games for the German club. Can Dortmund hold on to the striker already valued at £64.80 million? They have often been in this situation and past experience tells us that sooner, rather than later, Haaland will seek greener pastures.

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#T5 Serge Gnabry (£64.80 million)

Serge Gnabry.

One will not be exaggerating if one says that Serge Gnabry is one of the best wingers in the world right now. His brilliant, skillful, incisive dribbling and passing along Bayern's flanks played a crucial role in them winning the Champions League.

He scored crucial and beautiful goals in the quarter-final and the semi-final and even netted four times in an earlier match against last year's finalists Tottenham Hotspur.

The 25-year-old began his full professional career in England with Arsenal but he slowly started spreading his wings after moving back to Germany with Werder Bremen. Gnabry has blossomed fully in the Bundesliga with the rejuvenated Bayern side, having taken his time to find his feet at the Allianz Arena.

In 88 matches for the Bavarians, Gnabry has netted 36 times and been a vital cog in their irrepressible attacking machinery. He has also become a regular member of the German national team. He is valued at £64.80 million, the same as Haaland right now.

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#3 Joshua Kimmich (£67.50 million)

Joshua Kimmich.

Another of the new-age Bayern stars, Joshua Kimmich is possibly the most versatile player on this list of Bundesliga stars, capable of effortless slotting in as a fullback when required while being a master defensive midfielder. Kimmich played at right-back during Bayern's Champions League-winning run with Benjamin Pavard out with an injury.

Kimmich is both a solid defensive presence and a constant attacking threat for both Bayern and Die Mannschaft, having been with the former since the 2015-16 season. At 25, Kimmich is entering the best phase of his career and is valued at £67.50 million.

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#2 Leroy Sane (£72 million)

Leroy Sane.

It is no surprise that Bayern Munich players dominate these standings. However, the next name on this list, Leroy Sane, only joined the club this year and has just made a comeback from a serious ACL injury.

Sane is still only 24, but he seems to have been around for ages. That is because of his great exploits as part of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City team, where he fit perfectly into his aesthetic, attacking style with his skill-set, as he marauded and cut in from the wing to devastate Premier League oppositions.

Sane won the Premier League twice while at City and everything else the English game had to offer. He might have joined Bayern earlier and become a Champions League winner, had an injury not ruled him out last season. Now, returning to the game, Sane is one of the most highly valued players in the Bundesliga, valued at £72 million.

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#1 Jadon Sancho (£105.30 million)

Jadon Sancho. Will he stay on in the Bundesliga this season?

Will he, or won't he? The Jadon Sancho to Manchester United rumour has been around for too long now and the latest reports suggest United will launch another round of negotiations in hopes of luring their long-term target to Old Trafford. Sancho, the only player valued over £100 million in the Bundesliga, is by far the league's hottest prospect.

The 20-year-old made a daring switch to the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund from Manchester City to get first-team football and the rest, as they say, is history. The England international has set the Bundesliga on fire ever since his arrival in Germany, having scored 30 goals and assisted 38 times in the league.

He has been a livewire on the wings for a team that finished second behind Bayern in the Bundesliga last season and is yet to grow to his full potential despite being one of the best players in the country.

Defences around the world will be scared of the Camberwell-born youth wherever he plays next. Sancho is currently valued at £105.30 million.

Note: Kai Havertz, at £72.90 million, would have been second on this list but has not been included as he has all but completed a move to Chelsea

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