The Bayern Insider: Bad news for Liverpool as Christian Falk lifts lid on January transfer plans

Welcome to today’s exclusive & comprehensive round-up of all things Bayern Munich from Bayern insider Christian Falk. Featuring updates on Lennart Karl, Nathan De Cat, Harry Kane and Rayan Vitor.

Today’s top stories

• Are Bayern going to make any transfers in the winter window?
• Do Bayern need to worry about Harry Kane going to Barcelona?
• And plenty more on Marc Guehi, Ibrahima Konate, Dayot Upamecano, and more!

FC Bayern are still unbeaten; that was important for the team. As you’ve seen, they’re prepared to fight until the very end, but Bayern are more than aware of the reality that you can’t win every game in the season. Union Berlin, also, for what it’s worth, are a fighting team.

Ultimately, the more important game was the match against PSG, which was an opportunity to show, after the Club World Cup in the summer (and the disappointing Champions League campaign in 2024/25), that Bayern can win against the top teams in Europe. So, they were a little bit tired going into the 2-2 draw with Union.

The squad is small; everyone knew it before the season. You have Jamal Musiala coming back, you have Alphonso Davies coming back. You also, by the way, have Hiroki Ito, who is a player you need in the squad. Such players are very important, which is why I heard about the club’s decision not to buy any players in the upcoming winter window.

Will Bayern sign anyone in the January transfer window?

✅ It is TRUE:  Bayern will not sign any players in January. It’s not so interesting for Bayern fans, and I think also in the Premier League it’s not normal, but that’s the way of Bayern Munich! They don’t want to spend so much money. However, they are thinking about selling Sacha Boey; that’s the plan if there is a club prepared to pay a price Bayern are okay with. Remember, they paid €30m [£26.4m] with add-ons taking this up to €35m [£30.8m]. Bayern know they won’t get this money back, but they’ll try to sell him now because he’s been playing and that’s always good for the market.

However, Josip Stanišić is now back; Konrad Laimer is also doing very, very well; Davies is coming back. Also, Boey won’t play much in the next season, not to mention after the winter period this term. Now, they can get some money. Yes, he was already offered to Juventus, and the Serie A giants were interested in the summer. So, Bayern Munich will check the market to see if there is an interesting offer for Sacha Boey.

Are PSG and Real Madrid still on the table for Dayot Upamecano?

✅ It is TRUE: PSG and Real Madrid are the only clubs, other than Bayern, left fighting for Dayot Upamecano. It’s not good news for Liverpool fans – sorry for that! We have heard that there are just three clubs in the Frenchman’s mind for the future. First of all, Bayern Munich. The Bundesliga champions are a little bit confident that they will get the centre-half to sign a new contract.

However, failing that, there are two clubs that interest Upamecano – otherwise, no Premier League clubs are on the list – and these are Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. Both outfits are interested in the 27-year-old because he’s currently on track to be a free agent next year. Xabi Alonso’s side, in particular, are especially keen as they’re going to need new defenders. I heard there will be talks with Antonio Rüdiger in January to decide if he’ll get a new contract. David Alaba, likewise, will be a free agent in the summer. But that’s not to suggest PSG are anything but very interested in Upamecano. They want to build a team that almost mimics the French national side. Upamecano, a French national, would fit perfectly into this vision, and they can afford to meet his financial demands.

That all said, I have heard that the Bundesliga winner is also really a fan of Vincent Kompany, and he loves to work with the Belgian head coach. So, this is the big chance for Bayern Munich in this poker game. It’s still open, but there are three clubs in a position to sign Upamecano.

Could Ibrahima Konate leave Anfield?

✅ It is TRUE: Ibrahima Konate wants his future sorted shortly. Konate knows that Liverpool would like to sell him if he’s not prepared to sign a new contract, so he has to decide now. Bayern have said they’re interested, so it could be difficult for them if the Frenchman decides to sign a new contract at Liverpool. That’s because they’re already set to lose another option in Marc Guehi, who is very close, at the moment, to signing for Liverpool. The England centre-back was already prepared to make the jump in the summer. So, Bayern are searching for alternatives in the event Dayot Upamecano doesn’t sign a new contract. They also know there’s an option to sell Kim Min-jae, so they would love to be able to add one of Konate or Guehi to their ranks. Nonetheless, Bayern Munich are aware that it’s a really, really hard market given that both are free agents in the summer. However, FC Bayern already told both players that they’re interested.

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→ Become a Bayern insider: Guehi & Olise strategy could destroy Premier League plans

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Are Liverpool in the lead for Marc Guehi transfer?

✅ It is TRUE: Bayern know that Liverpool are in the lead in the race for Marc Guehi. Yes, there was an agreement in the summer, and the Crystal Palace star would like to play for Liverpool. FC Bayern did make efforts to try and get Guehi in the market. In his agency, there’s one agent who is working for the German market, and, of course, Bayern had a contact. However, the signs indicate that the Englishman is heading in the direction of Liverpool. There’s still some hope, there’s still a chance, but they know it’s getting hard.

Could Leon Goretzka sign for Juventus?

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern want to sell Leon Goretzka in January. But, it is true that the Germany international wants to stay at the Allianz Arena. The 30-year-old sees a chance to stay at Bayern Munich – he’d love to stay at the club. However, as everyone knows, he’s one of the top earners at about €17m-18m [£14.9m-15.8m] gross. Bayern have made a decision to talk to the midfielder and his agents next year about a new contract, and then they will see if he’s willing to lower his earnings. If so, there’s a chance for Leon Goretzka to stay.

Otherwise, I know there were many clubs that knocked on the door for the footballer. There were rumours, for instance, about Juventus, which is potentially interesting for the winter. Fenerbahçe should also be interested in signing Goretzka in January. I also heard that Galatasaray had a little hope of signing him, but there’s no chance – Leon Goretzka wants to stay, and we will see what Bayern will offer at the start of 2026, and if they will find an agreement. If not, there are many clubs that will be prepared to sign the German. Bayern Munich are already testing the market for younger players, cheaper players (in terms of salary), which is why the club is first holding talks with Goretzka. However, it’s possible he could leave in the summer – but a winter exit is off the table.

Are Bayern and Dortmund competing for Nathan De Cat?

🏡 | Nathan De Cat se balade simplement dans son jardin. 🐈🟣 #ANDGNT pic.twitter.com/rEEaEqTn9L

— DAZN Belgique (@DAZN_BEFR) September 23, 2025

✅ It is TRUE: Bayern are interested in Nathan De Cat. They have him on the list and there were also some talks with his agency. However, the decision will be made after talks with Leon Goretzka. He can be a successor, but they already have Tom Bischof in the squad who is doing very well in these positions in the midfield. So, it’s not yet decided if they’ll go for the Belgian. If Goretzka leaves, they will discuss this option again.  There are other names on the list when we talk about up-and-coming talents, of course. There’s also Givairo Read from Feyenoord in Bayern’s discussions. The Bavarians also have a few talents from France on the list. But it’s true De Cat is on the list, and also that Borussia Dortmund are interested in the 17-year-old. I also heard some Premier Clubs are keeping an eye on him, so it’s getting interesting. He has many options!

Could Barcelona try and sign Harry Kane?

Let’s indeed take the rumours seriously. There is, of course, an interest because Robert Lewandowski will leave Barcelona in the summer. As I heard, it’s getting difficult for the Poland international to get a new contract. There’s interest in his services from the MLS in the United States. It was always the plan for him and his family to keep playing in club football. Of course Barcelona are interested in Harry Kane if they’re going to need a new striker. However, at the end, the release clause we’re talking about is €65m [£57.3m], and we know that Barcelona simply don’t have the spare cash to do this deal. Could they even afford to pay Kane’s salary (which is about €25m [£22m] gross)? Hardly! Perhaps if they also don’t have to pay Lewandowski’s salary, but then Harry Kane has until the end of January to trigger the clause.

So, it’s a bit of a poker game at the moment. Barcelona are interested. Of course, you listen to such options because you also have to have a conversation with Bayern Munich about the future, perhaps about a new contract. Bayern want to make a decision about this, but only after the release clause is unable to be triggered, so it’s a better negotiating position for the club. Still, I can’t take the rumours too seriously, as I heard from some experts around Barcelona that they can’t actually afford him.

Could Lennart Karl get a new contract?

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern are in negotiations with Lennart Karl’s agent, Michael Ballack, over a new contract. It’s not true that there are negotiations, but the good news for Bayern fans is that he already signed a contract back in August until 2028. There are plenty of clauses in this contract which allow him to earn more money the better he plays. He’s also turning 18 in February, and we heard that when this happens, the contract has a clause to automatically extend without further negotiations. But, of course, the thinking in the club is that if he’s doing so well at the moment, perhaps he’ll get some add-ons as well beyond what’s in the contract. This is in discussion, but not really official negotiations just yet.

Uli Hoeneß talked today about Lennart Karl, and he said they’re very, very happy about this player, that he’s doing so well. But the hype is enormous, and everyone should calm down a little bit. He’s played a little now in the Bundesliga and Champions League, and now everyone wants him in the national team! However, if you’ve seen the teenager in the U21s, he played very well yet again and scored twice. So, you see, he is heading towards a potential big contract at Bayern, and a big future ahead.

Could Rayan Vitor move to the Bundesliga?

✅ It is TRUE: Rayan Vitor is on Bayern Munich’s radar. Bayern are now scouting more talent in South America. Of course, they have the big question about what’s going to happen with the striker position. They want to keep Harry Kane, but they don’t think they’ll trigger Nicolas Jackson’s release clause; Bayern think more than €65m is too much. If he’s doing well, of course, there can be talks with Chelsea to potentially get the Senegalese attacker for a lower price. But Bayern are eyeing cheaper options on the market that could become big talents and be educated behind Harry Kane. So, with that in mind, Rayan is an option. We heard that Bayern had scouts in Brazil to take a closer look at him, but the club has a long list, and we are yet again talking about Dusan Vlahovic. It was our exclusive breaking news that Bayern were interested in the Juventus striker. Now, Fabrizio Romano mentioned in a podcast that there were further contacts again in October. So, you see, it’s not really hot at the moment. He’s still on the list, and Bayern is keeping an eye on him.