Welcome to today’s exclusive & comprehensive round-up of all things Bayern Munich from Bayern insider Christian Falk. Featuring updates on Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Dusan Vlahovic and Marc Guehi.
Today’s top stories
- Has Harry Kane given Bayern reason to be optimistic about signing a new contract?
- How worried are Bayern about Michael Olise?
- Which defenders are catching Max Eberl’s eye?
- And plenty more on Murillo, Said el Mala, Dusan Vlahovic, and more!
I think the secret behind Bayern’s success this season is that the head coach, Vincent Kompany, is doing very, very well with the team. Before the season, Bayern Munich weren’t doing so well in the transfer market and the squad is not particularly big. We have to be honest: it’s looking really dangerous if the injury list gets any bigger! But Vincent Kompany has prioritised a simple structure for the players; everyone is always playing in the same position, and the same players are playing because they have to play. You see what it does for players like Luis Diaz, who joined in the summer, and is performing so well! Serge Gnabry is playing instead of Jamal Musiala, who is still injured, and he’s in the best shape of his career. Also, Manuel Neuer continues to play at such a high level that everyone in Germany is saying that he could be back for the World Cup in 2026.
The Oktoberfest can be a bit of a dangerous situation for players, as you can drink a lot there! But this shows how focused the team is because, I think, since this year, I’ve never seen the players so often together at the Oktoberfest – but no one was really drunk! It was just an event that really spoke of the Bayern Munich team spirit. I can tell you that they were often in the Schützenzelt – the Bayern players’ favourite beer tent. They were always there, on the balcony, they were also there on the last day of Oktoberfest. Here, I can tell you a secret! They bought little stickers and no one knew what was on their sticker. Joshua Kimmich got one that said, “I love beer!”, but I talked with him and he doesn’t love beer. That’s why he’s drinking radler – a mixture of lemonade and beer. Also, Harry Kane got a really naughty one, which is why he wanted to change it! He got one that means “too hot to handle”, but ‘hendl’ is also an expression in Bavaria for the chicken they sell there, so it was very funny from the guys!
Will Harry Kane sign a new Bayern contract?
Before, nobody knew how keen he was to return to England in order to beat Alan Shearer’s goalscoring record in the Premier League.
Now he told the Guardian that, yes, at the beginning of his transfer to Bayern Munich, he thought he would eventually return to England, but now he’s saying that he’s not so sure!
He loves Vincent Kompany and he loves the team. These are big words for the Bayern supporters.
@cf.bayern.insider 🗣 “Harry is a true team player and he stands out with what he does – he should be higher [than 13th]…” England boss Thomas Tuchel reflects on Bayern striker Harry Kane’s Ballon d’Or ranking 😱 #FCBayern #bayern #MiaSanMia #HarryKane #Kane ♬ original sound – Christian Falk Bayern Insider
Over at BILD, we asked Vincent Kompany what he thought about Harry Kane, and he said the striker is so brilliant and commended his goalscoring ability.
Thomas Tuchel, the England manager, also believes that Kane is the ‘best striker of his generation’. Big words – but I think it’s true!
It’s worth noting that Harry Kane’s release clause ends on 31 January – as Bayern don’t want to engage in talks before, whilst they’ll be under pressure! Afterwards, of course, they’ll have more space to begin talks as they don’t want to pay him more.
FC Bayern Munich are interested in Nottingham Forest’s Murillo
✅ It is TRUE: Bayern Munich have added Murillo to their shortlist. This is because they don’t know what’s going to happen with their own defensive talent in the near future.
Murillo is on this list. He’s been doing very, very well in the Premier League. Forest, of course, gave him a new contract in January in part because Real Madrid were looking at him.
Bayern can imagine bringing the 23-year-old centre-back into the squad.
However, his transfer fee won’t be an easy one for FC Bayern. We suspect it’ll be over €50m [£43.5m] that they would have to pay, but one advantage is that he doesn’t have a particularly high salary at the moment, so he would fit well into the Bayern squad.
Bayern, however, are not alone; I heard that Chelsea are also interested. Nonetheless, he could be a good option for Bayern Munich.
Is Dayot Upamecano nearing a Bayern contract extension?
❌ It is NOT TRUE: Dayot Upamecano made an important step forward in contract talks with Bayern Munich. We have to say these talks have been going on for over a year.
There is a kind of agreement between Bayern and Upamecano about a base salary, as he’s going to be a free agent in the summer, but there is always a signing fee! And the signing fee is a problem in these talks.
You have Alphonso Davies at Bayern Munich and he was in the same situation last year. The Canadian got a lot of money, we heard around €20m-22m [£17.4m-19.1m], just for the signing fee! Upamecano, of course, knows about this and has been asking, “What about my signing fee?”
If he goes to another club like Liverpool, he will get a signing fee as a free agent. Real Madrid and PSG are also interested. So, this is really difficult for Bayern as the wage bill for the team is already quite high, and there’s a target in place to lower this by 20% for the whole team. This makes things really difficult.
I heard the difference between what Bayern Munich want to pay and what Upamecano wants is still very, very big.
Marc Guehi is a top target for Bayern Munich
✅ It is TRUE: Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi is the number one defensive target for Bayern Munich. He was, in the summer, already the number one target for Bayern, but at this point, Max Eberl, head of sport, wasn’t allowed to buy players – just make loan deals. So, it wasn’t the right opportunity to make a deal.
However, in the summer, the Premier League defender will be a free agent, like Upamecano! So, if FC Bayern happen to lose the France international, they can go and get another free agent.
→ READ MORE: Christian Falk: Bayern take Liverpool ‘very seriously’ in race to sign 25y/o star
Marc Guehi is a very interesting player for Bayern Munich. It’s a similar situation to Murillo at Nottingham Forest; the salary isn’t so high, and Bayern can also pay him a signing fee. I don’t think he’ll want something like €20m in that regard!
The bigger problem FC Bayern will face is whether or not Guehi is still on the market by the time the Bundesliga outfit finds out what Upamecano’s decision is.
We know there are talks. Bayern want to sign him. But Liverpool F.C. were very far along with this deal in the summer, and I heard that Real Madrid is a really interesting option for the Eagles centre-half – perhaps his favourite one, as we heard!
It’s clear: Marc Guehi has already told the club that he wants to leave, and will leave, in the summer. There are many clubs following him; Tottenham are keen, Chelsea are not so involved in the poker at the moment (despite the player coming from the Blues’ academy), and many others.
Bayern could sign Nico Schlotterbeck from Borussia Dortmund
✅ It is TRUE: Nico Schlotterbeck is a target for FC Bayern. In 2022, Bayern Munich were knocking on the Germany international’s door, but this time, he had already promised Borussia Dortmund that he would sign for them. Dortmund bought him for €20m.
He’s since developed and enjoyed a great education in North Rhine-Westphalia, and now he’s very important for the German national team.
Dortmund have a new contract offer for Schlotterbeck, but the 25-year-old doesn’t think it’s high enough. We heard BVB offered a contract until 2030, so he could earn €2.5m more than he currently does; all in all, he could earn €8m a year.
Regardless, Nico Schlotterbeck, whose current terms expire in the summer of 2027, thinks he can earn more. This is because one of his teammates, Niklas Süle, who was a free agent from Bayern to Dortmund, is earning €14m a year.
So, if you’re in this position, as one of the most important players in the team, and a colleague in the defence is earning so much, he could reasonably ask for more.
With that in mind, Schlotterbeck is keeping an eye on opportunities. Bayern could be one if Upamecano doesn’t sign a new contract and Guehi isn’t on the market.
He’s also hoping that Real Madrid will come knocking, given the La Liga giants are looking for free agent defensive signings next summer.
Could Raphaël Guerreiro be off to Juventus?
✅ It is TRUE: Juventus are concretely interested in Bayern defender Raphaël Guerreiro. Juventus have already asked for Josip Stanišić, who, like Guerreiro, can also play left-back.
Bayern wanted €50m for the player, but this didn’t work for Juventus. So, they instead asked for Sacha Boey, and Bayern had to say no again, despite wanting to sell the player.
The squad at Bayern Munich is not big enough to just give players away, and this is also the position with Guerreiro.
Juventus want to sign him in the winter, which normally wouldn’t be an issue if Bayern had a replacement, but they still have to find one. Then, perhaps, they will talk in winter, but it seems a more likely exit this summer when he’s a free agent.
Could Said el Mala be the next great Bundesliga winger?
✅ It is TRUE: Said el Mala is now on FC Bayern’s radar. He’s been on the radar for the last two years. Bayern have seen that there’s a very big talent here.
El Mala has been brilliant in his last few games for FC Köln. I talked to Joshua Kimmich at the national team, we had an interview there, and the Bayern star said that when he saw Said el Mala in action, he was googling about his citizenship. If Kimmich is watching him, he’s probably also good enough for Bayern Munich.
The question within the club, however, is whether or not it’s too early to bring him in.
Serge Gnabry is also set to be a free agent in the summer, and no one knows if he’s going to get a new contract. His salary is very, very high. We heard €17m-20m a year. Bayern won’t pay him that again.
Perhaps he will say goodbye, like Leroy Sané did. I think it’s a really similar situation. Leroy could have earned €8m-10m if he’d stayed and not gone to Galatasaray.
This could be difficult, and then Bayern have to ask themselves whether they bring Said el Mala in, or whether they need another top star like Luis Diaz.
Could Michael Olise sign for Liverpool or Man City?
❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern are not worried about Michael Olise’s future amid links from Premier League clubs like Liverpool and Manchester City. Nobody at Bayern Munich can believe that Premier League teams didn’t make a move for Olise last summer. It was just Newcastle, which made it easier for Bayern, as they could say to the Frenchman, “Come to Munich, you can win the Champions League here.”
Now, he has a contract which is long enough that they don’t have to sell next summer – and they won’t sell.
→ READ MORE: Sources confirm Bayern’s Olise plans after Liverpool interest followed by Euro superpower
The big problem for Bayern Munich is that they want to give him a new contract, which is dangerous if Liverpool and Man City are there, and everyone’s interested in this top player.
He’s currently on €14m a year (with add-ons), so there’s a bit of space to give him more. Bayern Munich want to get him on a new contract as soon as possible. But with the contract ending in 2029, they have to see if they can keep Michael Olise until then, as interested clubs will pay a big transfer fee for this kind of player.
Bayern could imagine Dusan Vlahovic playing with Kane
✅ It is TRUE: Dusan Vlahovic likes Bayern Munich. The striker wanted to go to Bayern Munich already when he was playing for Fiorentina. At this time, he was too expensive for Bayern Munich – they would have ended up paying €80m [£69.7m].
But now, he’s set to become a free agent in the summer, and Juventus don’t want to give him a new contract!
I heard he’s earning €9m [£7.8m] a year (net), which is a lot of money for the Turin-based club. It would also be a lot of money for Bayern, but, as you see, he won’t cost a transfer fee!
For Nicolas Jackson, for instance, FC Bayern would have to trigger a release clause of over €60m [£52.2m] to keep the Chelsea man beyond his loan spell. This is a lot of money, and Bayern have already committed €16.5m [£14.3m] in a loan fee.
Juventus are reportedly interested in selling Vlahovic in the winter. Calciomercato, I believe, reported that the price tag will be €15m [£13m]. This is a cheap option!
In the summer, of course, it’s even cheaper, as he’ll be a free agent. This could be an option, as Vincent Kompany isn’t just searching for a Harry Kane successor; he can imagine playing with two strikers, as he already tried against Hoffenheim and Pafos, playing Nicolas Jackson up front and Kane behind as a number 10.
The Englishman is doing very, very well in this position, and you can see that he likes it. He drops back and works for the defence.
So this would be a good option for Bayern, and Vlahovic is definitely a player who can play in front of Harry Kane.
Should AC Milan brace for FC Bayern bid for Mike Maignan?
❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern have joined the transfer ace for Serie A goalkeeper Mike Maignan. Nobody knows what Manuel Neuer will decide in the summer.
There’s a small chance that he says, “I’m playing so well at the moment, I won’t stop my career.” He’s not thinking of retiring at this stage, and perhaps he’ll even play in the World Cup for Germany.
Everything is open, so, if he says, “No, I quit – this is my last season”, Bayern have Jonas Urbig at the moment (who is injured) who is doing very well and Daniel Peretz (away on loan at Hamburg) who isn’t playing much on loan, so Bayern are thinking of recalling him if this doesn’t change.
There’s also Alexander Nübel at Stuttgart, who also wants to be Neuer’s successor.
So, you see, there are many players on the payroll at FC Bayern who are competing for the number two position. There isn’t any money left for a new number one.
→ READ MORE: The Bayern Insider: Bayern fear multiple Premier League transfer threats
