Bayern Munich hosts. St. Pauli…
Eberl monitoring Huijsen (Bild via @iMiaSanMia)
On Friday, Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund tried to downplay Bayern Munich’s interest in Bournemouth center-back Dean Huijsen. Bild, however, is there to say, “Not so fast my friend!”
Per the German outlet, Bayern Munich board member for sport Max Eberl is keeping a close eye on Huijsen:
Even though Bayern consider the backline to be generally well equipped, Max Eberl continues to monitor Dean Huijsen’s situation. The Spaniard is on the list of transfer targets for the summer should Bayern decide to go for a centre-back. Release clause: €60m.
The 19-year-old Spanish international will not be an easy target for Bayern Munich, despite the somewhat feasible release clause. Huijsen has been closely linked to Real Madrid and FC Barcelona is also rumored to be in the mix for him as well.
One thing is certain, a move for Huijsen would be considered a move to help the future of the club. Considered to be one of the brightest, young defenders in Europe, Huijsen would be a tremendous building block for Bayern Munich’s next generation.
Alexander-Arnold a risk for Madrid? (ESPN)
The stories linking Liverpool FC star Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid went crazy earlier this week, but not everyone is fully convinced that the Englishman will be a success for Los Blancos:
Trent Alexander-Arnold is a “big signing, with question marks” for Real Madrid, according to Diario AS. The arrival of the England international on a free transfer this summer would mean uncertainty as to who would be first-choice right-back next season, when Dani Carvajal recovers from injury. AS describes Alexander-Arnold as “brilliant in attack, but suffering in defence” and says his participation with Madrid in the FIFA Club World Cup would depend on Liverpool agreeing to rescind his contract early.
Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show Season 4, Episode 36 (Bavarian Football Works)
Bayern Munich’s preparation for the stretch run of the season hit some snags over the course of the last week thanks to some very untimely injuries.
Despite that, the club is pushing forward and even keeping one eye on in the future as well. Let’s talk about all of that and more in this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:
- Let’s talk about what the losses of Bayern Munich stars Alphonso Davies, Manuel Neuer, and Dayot Upamecano mean for the rest of this season.
- Will Vincent Kompany learn anything from the slew of injuries he’s dealing with at the moment?
- It’s time for a transfer rumor round-up. Let’s talk about the most recent players linked to Bayern Munich, including Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz, VfB Stuttgart’s Nick Woltemade, Chelsea FC’s Christopher Nkunku, Southampton’s Tyler Dibling, RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams, Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola, and Mainz 05’s Jonathan Burkardt.
- A brief Entertainment Rundown.
Bayern among teams eyeing Ekitiké (ESPN)
Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Newcastle United are among those rumored to be interested in Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitiké:
Liverpool are set to compete with Arsenal for the signing of Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitiké, the Daily Mirror reports. The Reds are considering their attacking options this summer in case star forward Mohamed Salah does not sign a new contract and leaves as a free agent. Ekitike, 22, has scored 19 goals and provided eight assists from 38 games this season, and Frankfurt would reportedly want a £60m fee for him. The Mirror adds that Manchester United, Newcastle United and Bayern Munich are also monitoring the situation.
Ekitiké is a very good player, but his ability to act as a standalone striker is at least somewhat in doubt. At Bayern Munich, it is a necessity to play the position that way, which could be a detriment to seriously pursuing the Frenchman.
Yildiz has some deep-pocketed fans (TEAMtalk via 90Min.com)
Former Bayern Munich prospect and Juventus attacker Kenan Yıldız is drawing interest from Arsenal FC, Liverpool FC, and Manchester City:
Manchester United have made contact with Juventus over teenage winger Kenan Yildiz, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City also keen on the €90m-rated Turkish international.
Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show: Bayern Munich vs. St. Pauli (Bavarian Football Works)
Bayern Munich is looking to get back on track after dropping points in consecutive Bundesliga matches against 15th place St. Pauli.
Vincent Kompany will have to work around the numerous injuries on the squad and try to balance keeping players sharp vs. giving them rest. We will dive deep into that and more during the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show. Here is what we have in tap:
- A look into where each team falls in the Bundesliga table and some discussion on the recent form of each side.
- A look at the injury/suspension situations for both teams.
- A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI.
- A prediction on the match.
Stojković on Bayern’s radar? (Tottenham News)
Bayern Munich is rumored to be interested in Dinamo Zagreb forward Luka Stojković:
Bayern Munich are set to compete with Spurs for Dinamo Zagreb forward Luka Stojković’s signature, Tottenham News understands. Tottenham and Bayern have held a positive transfer relationship in recent years.
As exclusively revealed by Tottenham News, Ange Postecoglou’s side are interested in signing Stojković. Atlético de Madrid, Napoli and Inter Milan are all also interested in the 21-year-old’s signature, with Bayern Munich now joining the race for a player described as a “major talent” in scouting circles.
Stojković has played 26 times in all competitions this season for Dinamo Zagreb, scoring four goals and providing three assists while operating primarily as an attacking midfielder and out wide.
What could be enticing about Stojković is his ability to play as wing. Expected to be very affordable even for a cost-conscious side like the Bavarians, at just 21-years-old, Stojković could be a name to watch this summer.
Amorim done with Rashford (ESPN)
Don’t look for Marcus Rashford to return to Manchester United on any type of long-term basis:
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has drawn a line through Marcus Rashford’s career at Old Trafford, and there is no route back into his plans, the Star on Sunday reports. The 27-year-old joined Aston Villa on loan in the winter transfer window, having failed to impress Amorim after he replaced Erik ten Hag as United boss. Rashford is enjoying a new lease of life at Villa Park, winning a place in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad for this week’s games against Albania and Latvia. United will look to strike a permanent deal with Villa worth around £60 million, and invest the money in a replacement.
Bavarian Podcast Works — Emergency Edition: Bayern Munich loses Alphonso Davies for the season, Dayot Upamecano for “several weeks” (Bavarian Football Works)
The hits keep on coming for Bayern Munich.
The international break was not kind to the Bavarians as Manuel Neuer suffered a setback with his calf issue. Little did we know that injury would be the least of our concerns. Alphonso Davies tore the cruciate ligament in his right knee and will miss the rest of the season, while Dayot Upamecano has “loose bodies” in his knee and will miss up to six weeks per Bild.
Obviously, this is not ideal, so let’s discuss:
- How the news broke and why did Bayern Munich downplay Davies’ injury?
- Upamecano’s injury seemed to come out of nowhere.
- What might have caused this? The schedule? The conditions? Wear-and-tear?
- Where does Bayern Munich go from here and how it can cover the loss of two key players like Upamecano and Davies.
Bayern out of race for David (Sport Bild via @iMiaSanMia)
Despite speculation, Bayern Munich will not pursue Lille attacker Jonathan David:
Jonathan David, once mentioned as a candidate, is no longer being considered by Bayern, even though he will be a free agent in the summer. It was decided that his profile was not a fit.
Real eyeing Saliba (ESPN)
Real Madrid is reportedly keeping a close eye on Arsenal FC defender William Saliba:
Real Madrid are interested in Arsenal defender William Saliba, according to Relevo. The LaLiga club are believed to be keen to prioritise strengthening at centre-back in one of the upcoming transfer windows, with the Santiago Bernabeu hierarchy discussing a future deal for the 23-year-old. Aware of his current contract that isn’t set to expire until the summer of 2027, Los Blancos reportedly could wait until next year to acquire him for a lower fee if a deal isn’t possible over the summer.
