Germany needs to ramp back up for another match with Italy…
Wirtz expected to decline City’s advances (The Hard Tackle)
Bayer Leverkusen ace Florian Wirtz has been very closely linked to Bayern Munich for years.
However, in recent weeks Manchester City has been rumored to want Wirtz. With a club as rich as City being involved, one might think Bayern Munich could start to sweat a little. Per one report, the Bavarians should feel at ease, though, as Pep Guardiola’s club could get rejected by the Germany international:
According to Fichajes, Florian Wirtz could snub the overtures of Manchester City as he reportedly prefers to stay in the Bundesliga which could see him join Bayern Munich instead. Pep Guardiola was keen to lure the German playmaker to the Etihad, but he may have to look elsewhere for a top talent like the Bayer Leverkusen star.
Bayer Leverkusen will demand upwards of €100 million to negotiate a sale of the playmaker, with Manchester City understood to be very interested. Pep Guardiola had urged the club to push for a deal in the summer, with the Premier League champions willing to invest heavily in the playmaker.
Manchester City have been working behind the scenes to land the playmaker, but Florian Wirtz has other plans. The Bayer Leverkusen star reportedly prefers to stay in Germany rather than move abroad, which could see him join Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich are preparing sales to accommodate Wirtz, although it would take a monumental financial investment from them to convince Leverkusen to sell their playmaker. For now, Die Roten could find themselves in the driving seat for Wirtz, although Manchester City will be watching this unfold as they will be ready to pounce at the slightest hint of discontent between the Bundesliga sides.
It is still iffy on whether or not Wirtz actually leaves Bayer Leverkusen this summer, but if he does, most experts expect him to make the jump to Bayern Munich.
Müller says decision to stay with one club isn’t about sentimental things, but sport (Der Spiegel via @iMiaSanMia)
Bayern Munich star Thomas Müller is pragmatic about just about everything — even his status as a one-club man.
The veteran said that there is nothing sentimental about assessing career decisions.
“Little to none. Contract negotiations are not about the advantages of the Munich area, but about playing football, contract terms and the financial side of things. The decisive factor is always the sporting perspective. If you see that elsewhere, then it’s time to weigh things up,” said Müller.
Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show Season 4, Episode 35 (Bavarian Football Works)
The international break afford us the opportunity to take some time and think all things Bayern Munich — and maybe even take a deep dive back into some things from the past.
It was two years ago this week that Bayern Munich sacked Julian Nagelsmann. Let’s talk about the whens, the hows, and the whys of the situation once more and also how things have changed for everyone since that point. This is the full gamut of what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:
- Reflecting back on March 23rd, 2023 — The day that Bayern Munich fired Nagelsmann. The shock of it all. Why it happened? How that changed the future?
- Catching up on the latest news on some players, who Bayern Munich has been linked to — Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz, RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, and Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen. Don’t be shocked, though, if Max Eberl goes off the grid on a pursuit or two.
- A listener Q&A segment, including a question on beer, squad planning, and which Bayern Munich jerseys BFW staffers own.
- A brief Entertainment Rundown.
Davies still happy with how things played in contract saga (@iMiaSanMia)
Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies is all good with how things played out with his contract negotiations.
“I’m very happy and buzzing to have extended my contract. It was a long time coming but we got the job done. I see myself in Munich for the next 5 years or even longer,” said Davies.
LFC to challenge Madrid, Bayern on Huijsen (ESPN)
Liverpool FC is expected to take a run at Dean Huijsen, who is considered to be a top transfer target for Bayern Munich and Real Madrid:
Liverpool have entered the race to sign Bournemouth’s 19-year-old defender Dean Huijsen, per talkSPORT. The 19-year-old defender has been heavily linked with Real Madrid in recent weeks, having enjoyed a superb Premier League campaign. However, Liverpool are also in for Huijsen, and could offer the Spain international immediate game time if Virgil van Dijk leaves the club this summer. He is under contract on the South Coast until 2030 and has a £50 million release clause that becomes active in July. According to several reports, Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez could join Huijsen at Anfield next season.
Real Madrid is the clear frontrunner in this race, no matter what Bayern Munich or Liverpool does. Huijsen seems like is going to make the move to Madrid.
Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show: Italy 1-2 Germany (Bavarian Football Works)
There were some large questions about this starting lineup for Julian Nagelsmann but some adjustments at half allowed Die Mannschaft to pull off a thrilling comeback to win on Italian soil.
Germany will now head to Dortmund to avenge their 2006 loss to the Italians in the FIFA World Cup riding a serious high. There could be big things ahead for the Germans.
Let’s talk about all of that and more on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show. This is what we have on tap:
- A look at the starting XI and our thoughts on the rotation.
- A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
- Some final thoughts and takeaways on the match.
Rummenigge tells the tale of acquiring Martinez (Abendzeitung via @iMiaSanMia)
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge recently had some time to reflect on one of the key acquisitions in Bayern Munich’s recent history — Javi Martinez.
“We were all shocked in 2012 because we lost the final so undeservedly. We finished second in three competitions. Jupp Heynckes was completely worn out. Then we went on holiday for two weeks and somehow managed to get back on our feet. It started with us speaking on the phone every day and quickly making various transfers during that time: Mandžukić, Shaqiri, Dante. Not all that spectacular, but looking back, very important,” said Rummenigge. “Martínez was a special story. We discussed him for two months, and again intensively two days before the transfer deadline. I asked Jupp the question: “Will this player bring us that extra bit of quality so that we won’t experience what we experienced last year again this year?” – And Jupp answered immediately: “Yes!” – He was totally convinced.
“Then we sent our legal director Michael Gerlinger to Madrid to submit a check for 40 million euros [release clause] to the Spanish league. Gerlinger then flew to Bilbao and brought Martínez with him to Munich. In the first four weeks, he only played for 15 minutes. Once I went down to the dressing room after a game and asked Jupp if there was anything wrong with Javi Martínez that we should know about. Jupp just said: “He’s not top fit yet. You have to trust me, I’ll get him to the level we want him to be at.” – And then Martínez ended up being one of the most important players on the way to the treble.”
Osimhen has many suitors (ESPN)
Victor Osimhen is drawing interest from Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea FC, and Juventus:
Manchester United are expected to face strong competition this summer for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, according to TEAMtalk. Recent reports say United are willing to offer Rasmus Højlund to Napoli in a part-exchange for Osimhen — but it appears this won’t be the only proposal on the table. Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Juventus may all rival United for the 26-year-old forward, who is currently on loan at Galatasaray. Osimhen, a Nigerian international, has been clinical in Turkey this season, notching 14 goals in 19 league games to date.
Bavarian Podcast Works — The Bundesliga Rundown with Marcus Iredahl: Matchday 26 (Bavarian Football Works)
Matchday 26 had it all—last-minute drama, shock results, and fan protests! In this episode, we dive into:
- Can Bayer Leverkusen finally dethrone Bayern Munich?
- FC Augsburg’s record-breaking defence.
- Eintracht Frankfurt’s ultras and the 50-minute delay in Bochum.
- …and much more!
Dell’Erba to Juve? (Sky Sport via @iMiaSanMia)
Juventus is reportedly interested in Bayern Munich II’s Davide Dell’Erba:
Juventus are interested in signing Bayern II midfielder Davide Dell’Erba (20). Dell’Erba joined Bayern in summer 2023 from Augsburg [@SkySport] pic.twitter.com/WC6RXYPqiP
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) March 20, 2025
Gunners serious about Zubimendi (ESPN)
Arsenal FC could be setting itself up for along-awaited move for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi:
Arsenal have put €60m on the table to sign Martín Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, but he is also on a three-man shortlist of key targets for Real Madrid. However, Los Blancos are wary of matching the transfer offer from the Gunners, AS reports. Madrid do want to increase the number of Spanish players in their squad, which would also be aided by the signing of Dean Huijsen, AFC Bournemouth’s 19-year-old central defender.
Regardless, Real Madrid’s No. 1 target remains Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, who the paper says is 99% a Bernabeu player — the only thing that’s missing is his signature on a free transfer. The priority order is Alexander-Arnold, Huijsen, and then Zubimendi. Madrid would expect to negotiate a fee of under €50m for Huijsen. Two more youthful signings would be returns for academy products Miguel Gutiérrez — now at Girona — and Nico Paz, who has starred for Como in Serie A.
Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 7, Episode 34 (Bavarian Football Works)
Bayern Munich sputtered into the international break with an unexpected 1-1 draw on the road with Union Berlin.
We’ll talk about that and some of the other burning issues going on with the Bavarians at the moment. This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works Show:
- Why did Bayern Munich look so unfocused and fall apart against Union Berlin? Let’s discuss.
- It’s not time to worry about Jonas Urbig.
- Why is Vincent Kompany still so reluctant to rotate?
- Leroy Sané’s last minute rush for a new contract is upon us.
- Eric Dier could get a new deal, but it still feels unlikely.
- Who from Bayern Munich is unsellable?
- Oh yeah, it’s a race again.
