Welcome to today’s exclusive & comprehensive round-up of all things Bayern Munich from Bayern insider Christian Falk. Featuring updates on Dean Huijsen, Bradley Barcola, Lennart Karl, and Max Eberl.
Today’s top stories
- Bayern have Rafael Leão, Bradley Barcola and Nico Williams transfer conundrum…
- Bayern regret missing out on Premier League star they didn’t move quickly enough for
- Is there a feud brewing between Max Eberl and Joshua Kimmich?
- Why Europe must keep an eye on teenage sensation Lennart Karl…
Telekom shirt sponsorship deal
Bayern won’t feel the flow of new money from German sponsor Telekom until 2027. So the challenge remains the same for the director of sport, Max Eberl: he must raise funds through transfers. With the sale of Mathys Tel, he received €35m [£29.9m] from Tottenham. On top of this, a further €1.5m [£1.2m] was clinched for Gabriel Vidovic (21), who was moved on to Zagreb. However, up to €165m [£141m] is still yet to be raised – this is the combined price list of the stars FC Bayern would like to sell.
Bayern price list
Kim Min-jae and Kingsley Coman will cost potential suitors €35m [£29.9m] each. João Palhinha has a price tag of €30m-35m [£25.6m-29.9m]. The Portuguese international came from Fulham for €51m [£43.5m] in 2024. Daniel Peretz is expected to cost at least €8m [£6.8m]. PSV Eindhoven are interested. Bryan Zaragoza costs €10m [£8.5m]. Osasuna and Real Betis are interested. Sacha Boey is expected to bring in €10m [£8.5m]. Galatasaray are interested. The Turkish outfit has already signed Leroy Sané as a free agent from Bayern.
Club World Cup
FC Bayern are taking the competition very seriously. The club wants to win the tournament to cash in over €100m [£85.4m] and fund further transfer business. This is why Vincent Kompany is not experimenting with his squad, as Bayern Munich’s opening 10-0 win over Auckland City showed. However, he did give one young star, whom the football world should keep an eye on, a chance: Lennart Karl.
Keep an eye on Lennart Karl
He is 17 years young and Bayern’s greatest youth talent. The teenager has already amassed a crazy rate of contributions in the academy teams: In 30 games, Karl scored 34 goals and had 11 assists. Vincent Kompany regularly allowed Karl to train with his star ensemble and even included him in the senior squad five times (without playing). Karl’s style of play is reminiscent of Franck Ribéry! His technically strong dribbling is feared by his opponents. Karl also has a prominent agent in ex-national player and TV expert Michael Ballack. European clubs should remember his name.
Bayern transfers
Max Eberl is getting up at 5AM every day in the USA in order to hold transfer talks with his colleagues in Europe. He has to sell in order to buy. The problem the 51-year-old is facing is that many candidates may already be off the mark before Bayern can sell their players.
Max Eberl v Joshua Kimmich
I was there when Kimmich said that the offence could use more players. I was also there when Eberl said that he was responsible for that, not Kimmich. But it wasn’t a rebuke. I know that they both talked and laughed about it in the hotel. Neither side meant any offence. Eberl knows that Kimmich is ambitious. He only wants the best for the team. But Eberl is the man who ultimately has to make the decisions off the pitch. Just like Kimmich on the pitch.
Nico Williams
FC Bayern are hoping that FC Barcelona do not have the money for Nico Williams. However, Barcelona president Joan Laporta is very sure that he will end up getting Nico Williams financed because of this deal. Williams is leaning towards a move to Barça. There has already been a meeting with sporting director Deco. Laporta wants to make money. However, a repayment of a deal with the German investor ‘Libero Football Finance’ totalling €40m is imminent. The company joined Barça in August 2023 and was supposed to pay €60m for shares. However, only €20m of this had been transferred so far. After lengthy disputes with the company, the money is now set to flow into Barcelona’s 2025/26 budget. This should fulfil ‘Financial Fair Play’ in La Liga and allow Barça to act again. Barcelona could, therefore, afford to buy Williams.
Lothar Matthäus and Rafael Leão
I spoke to Lothar Matthäus about Nico Williams. He thinks the Barça target is good, but his favourite for FC Bayern is Rafael Leão. Matthäus thinks that the Portuguese star has even more potential than he has been allowed to show at AC Milan so far. Leão also has another big advantage – not only can he play on the wing, but also in the heart of the forward line. So, he could be a backup option for Harry Kane.
Backup options for Williams and Bradley Barcola
FC Bayern still can’t agree on which player is best for the club. Nico Williams is still the ideal number one signing. They think Leão doesn’t contribute as effectively with his defensive work. Barcola is hard to get; PSG don’t want to sell him. Interestingly, though, Bradley Barcola has changed agents. He is no longer being advised by star agent Jorge Mendes, Cristiano Ronaldo’s old representative. He has switched to Moussa Sissoko and Marco Lichtsteiner. They are also Jamie Gittens’ agents. The agency is also very well connected with FC Bayern. If there is a chance of a transfer, FC Bayern will be attentive to the opportunity.
Eberechi Eze
Eze is still not high on Bayern’s list. He is a candidate like SC Freiburg’s Ritsu Doan. Bayern Munich are interested, but neither are top stars. After missing out on Florian Wirtz to Liverpool, Bayern need a big name. That’s not Eze or Doan. The latter is an especially hot topic at Eintracht Frankfurt. The transfer should have been finalised long ago. However, in addition to FC Bayern, several clubs from the Premier League are also interested.
Coming to America: Thomas Müller?
FC Cincinnati are still very interested in Thomas Müller. But he has turned the club down in order to be allowed to negotiate with Los Angeles FC. That’s the rule in the MLS. Müller is interested in a move to LA; he likes the Sunshine State. But there is a problem: LA’s offer is still too low. Müller has already had better offers, for example, from Japanese club Vissel Kobe. FC Bayern is desperate for Thomas Müller to join LA, as it is their partner club in the USA. Both clubs are now trying to make the deal possible, especially with the help of sponsors.
Sacha Boey
Galatasaray only want to loan the Frenchman with an option to buy. But Sacha Boey wants to show that he can assert himself at FC Bayern. Vincent Kompany has already given him game time (the full 90 minutes) at the Club World Cup. A joyful celebration after scoring against Auckland shows that he is not yet finished at Bayern. As things stand, he doesn’t want to join Galatasaray in the Turkish Süper Lig just yet.
Kingsley Coman
If Nico Williams, Bradley Barcola, and Rafael Leão are not for sale, the question is whether FC Bayern can really find a better player than Kingsley Coman on the market. Against Auckland, he was the best player in the starting XI alongside Michael Olise. Moreover, there are no offers for him yet. Saudi Arabia is interested, but his wife doesn’t want to go there. If Coman continues to perform like this at the Club World Cup, Bayern should keep him.
Serge Gnabry
It is not true that Serge Gnabry wants to go to the Süper Lig. Fenerbahce are interested, but Gnabry doesn’t want to go to Turkey. He wants to play for FC Bayern next season.
Dean Huijsen
FC Bayern were very interested in the Spaniard. But they hesitated too long. By the time the club contacted Huijsen, Real Madrid had already finalised a deal with him. Annoying for Bayern. They would have loved to get the player.
→ READ MORE: The Bayern Insider: The truth about Cody Gakpo & Rafael Leao transfers
→ READ MORE: Christian Falk’s Fact Files – Jack Grealish to the Bundesliga?
