Bayern Munich are optimistic about retaining their star defender Dayot Upamecano beyond 2026, president Herbert Hainer has said. Talks are already underway with the French centre-back as the German giants look to ward off interest from Real Madrid, who are considering a free transfer for the 27-year-old.Upamecano could leave the German giants after five years with the club as his contract comes to an end next summer. The defender has been a key force in their back line, further establishing himself as one of the finest defenders in the Bundesliga following his €40 million (£35m/$46m) transfer from RB Leipzig. With Bayern pushing to tie him down to a new contract, negotiations have slowed over wage demands, with the Frenchman’s camp pushing for a salary package closer to €15m (£13m/$17m) per year and a significant signing bonus. With other teams interested, the German club may have to bow to his demands or risk seeing him follow David Alaba's example by leaving for one of their European rivals.Hainer believes the French defender is comfortable at Bayern. The Bavarians are in lightning form under Vincent Kompany this season, and Upamecano's stature in their defence has been of good help to the Belgian's strategy so far. The 71-year-old president commented in an interview with Abendzeitung: "We are in the process of speaking with Upamecano. I believe he feels comfortable in Munich. It's obviously an important decision for him as well. In principle, he likes it very much at Bayern. We would like to keep him. I am cautiously optimistic."Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!Since Xabi Alonso's tactical takeover from Carlo Ancelotti this summer, Real Madrid have made it a priority to sign defensive reinforcements. In the summer, they acquired the services of young Spanish defender Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth. However, another addition seems mandatory with Antonio Rudiger possibly leaving at the end of the current campaign. Their focus appears to have shifted to Germany for Upamecano with talks reportedly already in progress. The Bavarians' sporting director, Christoph Freund, has already declared that retaining the French international is their prime objective. For him, it is no surprise that clubs like Madrid or even Liverpool from the Premier League are interested in Upamecano. "It's no secret that our main goal is to extend Upamecano's contract," he said. "It's also not surprising that many clubs, I don't know which ones, are interested in Upamecano because he's simply performing really, really well, is a great guy, and one of the best centre-backs in the world." The 27-year-old is at the peak of his career and club legend, and former CEO Oliver Kahn believes it could be 'very expensive' to perform such an extension. Bayern enjoyed a record-breaking start to the 2025-26 campaign, managing to win all of their first 16 competitive matches before that run was halted by Union Berlin in their latest Bundesliga encounter. The game saw the Bavarians go down in the 27th minute before Luis Diaz scored the much-needed equaliser before the end of the half. In the 83rd minute, Doekhi completed his brace, only to see Harry Kane restore parity in the 90th minute to save Bayern's night and help them leave the pitch with a point. This draw comes as a setback to Kompany's side just before the international break. When they return to the pitch, they will have crucial fixtures in the form of Freiburg and St. Pauli in the Bundesliga. Between these two games, they'll need to travel to London to take on Premier League giants Arsenal in a much-awaited encounter in the Champions League. Bayern sit top of the European table, but Arsenal and Inter are level on points with them, while Pep Guardiola's Manchester City linger two behind.