Welcome to today’s exclusive & comprehensive round-up of all things Bayern Munich from Bayern insider Christian Falk. Featuring updates on Nick Woltemade, Alexander Isak, João Palhinha, and Luis Diaz.
Today’s top stories
- Bayern Munich hand Liverpool Alexander Isak transfer boost!
- Nick Woltemade responds to Premier League transfer interest…
- Three reaons why Bayern were so keen on Luis Diaz deal…
- Is Max Eberl’s job still in danger?
This season will be a difficult one for Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga rivals. Bayer Leverkusen, who finished second in 2024/25, have been broken apart this summer. Head coach Xabi Alonso is now managing Real Madrid, whilst so many key players from the squad have been sold on to various teams. Bayern played a role in this dismembering this summer, signing Leverkusen’s defensive chief in Jonathan Tah. The team’s “brain” in Florian Wirtz has moved to Liverpool (followed by right-back Jeremie Frimpong), and now the “heart” of the side, Granit Xhaka, is off to Sunderland. So, it’s difficult to expect a big season from Leverkusen.
In Dortmund, you never know what you’ll get with this team, but they also don’t look particularly consistent. Eintracht Frankfurt is always climbing the table year after year, but they’re not yet prepared to challenge for the title; they’re playing for the Champions League. Also, in Leipzig, they have a new coach now in Ole Werner and are under threat of losing their best talents. They could lose Benjamin Šeško to one of Manchester United or Newcastle, Xavi Simons to Chelsea, and now Loïs Openda is a topic at Aston Villa.
I don’t see a big rival for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga this season. The title is the target for the club, as it is every year, so everyone will be focused on the Champions League. The aim is to get to the final in Budapest because the last few years in Europe have been disappointing for Bayern Munich. This season, Bayern have to progress further than the quarter-finals to call it a success. Real Madrid are finding their feet, Manchester City aren’t consistent, and Barcelona you don’t quite know… so it’s looking like PSG will be the team to beat. In the Club World Cup, you saw how close Bayern came to beating them (and they beat them in the group stage last season), so everyone knows that Bayern Munich can compare with the Parisians.
Nick Woltemade doesn’t want the Premier League
Manchester United and Newcastle had Nick Woltemade on their shortlists. However, the VfB Stuttgart striker is still focused on Bayern Munich. He doesn’t want to leave the Bundesliga at this stage. On Wednesday, there was a meeting between the Bayern bosses where they discussed how they’ll move in the window for Woltemade. There have already been two offers rejected – one of €40m [£34.5m] plus €5m and the second of €50m [£43.2m] plus €5m. Now they’ve decided to play on time, as they don’t want to raise their offer again. They hope Stuttgart will come back to the table, as it’s a lot of money for the club as it stands, and they can’t guarantee that another club will be prepared to pay this fee next year. So, it’s a tactic by Bayern to put pressure on Stuttgart.
Could Enzo Millot future impact the deal?
Enzo Millot has a release clause of €20m [£17.2m]. Stuttgart doesn’t have any chance to prevent the deal from taking place, so they’ve already planned to have the €20m. They are sure that he will leave. Last week, Stuttgart gave him the weekend off to take part in negotiations with Atletico Madrid. Everyone was a little bit surprised that there had not been a final signal. They think there are other clubs involved now with other offers. Perhaps Premier League clubs can play a role in this transfer poker.
Bayern’s summer exits
Bryan Zaragoza was loaned out for a year, with Bayern picking up €1.25m [£1m]. There’s also a buy option included, which is activated when the Spaniard plays 70% of the matches at Celta Vigo in 2025/26 and if they finish in 11th place or higher. Bayern would then receive €12m.
Bayern have also sold Adam Aznou to Everton for €9m (plus €3m in add-ons). This is money Bayern can now work with. They can have an eye on players like Chelsea’s Renato Veiga; he’s also still on the list for Bayern Munich.
Kim Min-jae has yet to be sold, and there’s still not a serious option on the table for either the South Korean defender or the club. So, at the moment, he’s expected to be available for the upcoming season. This is why we can rule out interest in Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate. As long as Min-jae is still in the squad, there’s no place for such an investment. Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry are likewise staying put for the time being.
It’s true: Bayern and Tottenham have agreed on a loan deal for João Palhinha. On Thursday, it was said that Palhinha was not completely convinced by the move. The player was previously committed to showing that he was good enough for FC Bayern. But talks with Tottenham got hot; the interest from the Londoners is interesting for him, which is why there was movement in negotiations. As Fabrizio Romano has confirmed, the loan deal includes a buy option of €30m [£25.9m] (which is not an obligation).
Luis Diaz arrives
The Saudi Pro League tried to hijack Bayern Munich’s deal for Luis Diaz three weeks ago. They offered €90m [£77.8m], but Diaz wasn’t interested; he just wanted to sign for Bayern. The Bundesliga champions still spent big to get their target, of course – the Colombian is officially the third most expensive signing of all-time in German top-flight history – behind Harry Kane (€100m [£86.4m]) and Theo Hernandez (€80m [£69.1m]) – at €67.5m [£58.3m] (or €75m [£64.8m] with add-ons included). It’s a lot of money. But Bayern feel it is justified for three reasons:
- He’s really fast, which is why he’s perfect for the winger-led system at Bayern Munich.
- He’s a fighter. Bayern have many players who are good at dribbling and on the ball, but they need a player with a bit of grit and rugged determination.
- The most important reason is that there is a belief Diaz can hit the ground running in Germany, which wasn’t necessarily a guarantee with first-choice Nico Williams.
Last season was Luis Diaz’s best for Liverpool, with 17 goals and eight assists in 50 games (in all competitions). Internally at FC Bayern, decision-makers are confident Diaz knows where the goal is! The same couldn’t always be said with Leroy Sané, despite him being a fantastic player. As we saw at the Club World Cup, the German international repeatedly struggled to capitalise on one-on-one opportunities in front of goal.
Good news for Max Eberl
The deal for Luis Diaz has given director of sport Max Eberl some breathing room. He’s getting more time now at FC Bayern. On Wednesday, the Bayern bosses had very warm words for the 51-year-old and his work. So, you see, the pressure after the deal is not so high anymore, as Bayern have made their big deal. There will be other transfers, you can be sure, but Diaz is the main summer deal for Bayern Munich.
Diaz sets the dominoes falling for Liverpool and Alexander Isak
I heard that Liverpool wants to put the money they earned from selling Luis Diaz towards a potential deal with Newcastle for Alexander Isak.
Christopher Nkunku and Xavi Simons are quiet
It’s all calmed down at the moment with Christopher Nkunku and Xavi Simons. The latter is a very hot option for Chelsea. Nkunku is also not particularly high up on the list and will remain that way for as long as a decision is yet to be made on Woltemade.
Bayern’s injury concerns
Good news on the injury front for Bayern. Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies are both on track with their recovery efforts. For Davies, the Canadian is already starting training on an anti-gravity treadmill, so a comeback in October is no longer ruled out. Bayern hope that both Musiala and Davies will be back on the pitch by the end of the year.
Manuel Neuer could return to Germany setup
When Manuel Neuer retired from the German national team, there were already talks with the national team bosses that if anything happened to their current options, they could need him for the World Cup in 2026. He let them know that, if there is a need, he will always be willing to help out. We can’t say right now if that will be the case, as Marc-André ter Stegen is set to return in three months. However, you can never guarantee how a player will return after such a long time out and an operation (lower back). So, Germany can’t rule out that Neuer will be a topic for the World Cup.
Thomas Müller to Vancouver looks a certainty
The deal taking Müller to the Vancouver Whitecaps is expected to be made official next week. Everything is done. Vancouver beat Los Angeles FC, Chicago Fire, San Diego, and Cincinnati FC with their offers. Thomas Müller decided on Vancouver not just because of the good salary but also because of the pitch made by the head coach Axel Schuster, a fellow German, who wants to win titles. That’s one of the factors that convinced the 35-year-old, as he remains a competitive sportsman; he’s not just joining the MLS to have fun at the end of his career. He wants to be successful in football.
→ READ MORE: The Bayern Insider: Liverpool should fear Munich’s Luis Diaz advantage
→ READ MORE: Christian Falk’s Fact Files – Šeško door opens for Manchester United
Good