Welcome to today’s exclusive & comprehensive round-up of all things Bayern Munich from Bayern insider Christian Falk. Featuring updates on Aleksandar Pavlović, Michael Olise, Alphonso Davies, and Malo Gusto.
Today’s top stories
- Was Michael Olise hard done by with the red card against Viking?
- Have Real Madrid turned their attention away from Olise and to Erling Haaland?
- Is a Leeds United star really Bayern’s top target for 2027?
- And plenty more on Harry Kane, Dani Olmo, Adin Ličina & Lucá Williams-Barnett
I had a very interesting conversation with Aleksandar Pavlović this week. We spent an hour in the office of his agent, a former footballer who’s very famous in Germany, Dieter Hoeneß (a former striker and, notably, Uli Hoeneß’s brother). We were sitting around talking a lot about football and, of course, the links to Manchester City. I’ve mentioned previously in the column that Manchester City came in with an offer of over €100m [£84.6m] for him. The Bayern midfielder confirmed this was the case. However, he was born in Munich, loves the club and genuinely wants to win the big trophies with FC Bayern. Of course, it was also an honour for him to be considered a potential successor for Rodri. He said he wants to reach this level – perhaps even better! Pavlović also mentioned that he wants to follow in the Spaniard’s footsteps by winning the Ballon d’Or. So, he’s a very confident guy and I think Bayern Munich missed him in the match at Stavanger.
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A crazy, crazy game against Viking FK
(Photo by Marius Nordnes / Nordnes Foto/Getty Images)
You have to say that, in the first half, it didn’t feel like Bayern were even on the pitch (or the artificial pitch, I should say!). After the match, there’s always a banquet, and a few journalists tend to be invited. There’s always a speech; the CEO, Jan-Christian Dreesen, noted that the first half wasn’t particularly “Bayern-like”. They were very disappointed with it, and Dreesen was absolutely right in his assessment. Bayern Munich made far too many mistakes, while Viking were much more aggressive. I remember seeing their No.10 and captain, Zlatko Tripić, shove Michael Olise to the floor. They were just harder in everything. In the end, Bayern Munich forced their way back into the game, and we have to speak about Harry Kane, who scored the penalty and headed in Joshua Kimmich’s cross before Luis Diaz put the visitors in the lead.
The stadium was so loud to begin with, understandably so, given there was a real sense that Viking could secure a win against FC Bayern. After the 3-2, they were completely quiet. Then Michael Olise got the red card, the “stupid” red card in head coach Vincent Kompany’s words. He used the specific phrase “über blöd”, which translates roughly to “super stupid”. The No.10 was, ultimately, really clever. However, Kompany made it clear to the team in the dressing room after the match that the result was the fault of Olise and that the Frenchman’s actions hadn’t been helpful for the team. In the end, his final comments were quite damning, as he told Michael Olise that Viking’s Tripić had been more clever than him. He was right. It’s not typical of Kompany to share these comments in public, by the way. He’ll make his point privately in the dressing room, but he had no problem sharing what he said with the press afterwards, because he felt everyone had seen what had happened on the pitch. So, here was a rare moment when you saw just how angry Kompany was.
Now that everything has cooled down somewhat, it’s kind of funny, on reflection, that no one at Bayern was actually prepared to name Viking’s No.10. He’s a real – and I want to emphasise that I mean this as a compliment – drecksack (a “dirtbag”). He was very clever, very good, and had a fantastic game for the hosts. He got two assists – one of them being the pass to assist the equaliser by the way! Zlatko Tripić was celebrating the red card against Olise because he ultimately won that battle. It’s something for the Bayern winger to think about; he can’t lose his cool. Such things just shouldn’t happen. It is worth caveating things by mentioning that Michael Olise wasn’t having the best of days to begin with, playing through a very heavy cold. However, this can’t be the reason why things fall apart. Sometimes you have to fight, and sometimes you have to shut up. On this occasion, he wasn’t clever – Kompany was right.
Does Olise prefer Spain to England?
(Photo by Marius Nordnes / Nordnes Foto/Getty Images)
✅It is TRUE: Michael Olise prefers the possibility of a move to Spain. I don’t think a return to the Premier League is impossible. He played for Crystal Palace and there are other clubs that would be very interesting for him. However, it is Real Madrid that he is excited about and Real Madrid are excited about him. There were many articles in Spain covering the topic this week. El Nacional claimed that Olise is no longer a topic in the Spanish capital, as Real are focusing on Erling Haaland if Manchester City are forced to sell players pending the outcome of an appeal against their 114 charges of alleged financial misconduct. AS, who I think are much closer to the club, said that Michael Olise is still the top target. They will try and they will wait until Bayern Munich make a move. If FC Bayern can give the French international a new contract, then they’re out. But they want to push to sign the player and hope that he won’t extend his terms at the Allianz Arena.
I can say that Bayern Munich still have to beware of Real Madrid. But you also have to see if Manchester City come in with a good offer for the 24-year-old, as this could also be an interesting option for him.
Good news incoming around Harry Kane contract
I have good news! I can say and confirm that Bayern and Harry Kane’s entourage have reached an agreement for a contract extension until 2029. The contract length was the big question. Now, they have this agreement, and they want to finalise it after sorting out some final details, like the image rights and other small things. I heard from the club that the idea is to have the contract signed before the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London (26th October). So, you see, we’ll get some official news this month.
Dani Olmo linked with January move to Bayern
(Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
❌It is NOT TRUE: Bayern are considering a €90m [£76.1m] January move for Dani Olmo. I asked around the club and they said there’s no deal being readied for the Spaniard. Bayern won’t go for the player in the winter window. They are aware of Olmo, and he’s been an interesting player for the club in the past. He could become interesting again in future. But in the meantime, there’s no plan for a January transfer.
Bayern don’t want to sell Alphonso Davies
Bayern Munich do not want to sell Alphonso Davies, as things currently stand. That said, it’s also true that a big offer on the table could change matters. If they have a big offer, Bayern would go to the table and hold talks, as the Canadian international has a big salary and they now have Nathaniel Brown, a German national, to call upon in that position. Davies is a very interesting player. When he came in from the bench against Viking FK, he was good, quick and aggressive. But in the end, it was his mistake that led to the final goal to equalise the scoreline between the two sides in the Champions League group stage tie. The left-back went up for a header and didn’t win the duel. So, he’s not being pushed out the door, but it’s also not the case that he’s absolutely not up for sale.
Could Jules Koundé be a January option?
(Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
❌It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich are considering a January transfer for Barcelona’s Jules Koundé. FC Bayern did try to sign the defender before he made the move to La Liga. He’s still an interesting player for the club, but not one they’ll look to actively pursue in the winter. The Frenchman’s also expensive, even if Barcelona were prepared to sell him. Bayern Munich won’t go for him right now, particularly while they continue to have an excellent option currently available in the form of Konrad Laimer who, by the way, had an excellent game against Viking on Tuesday night. The Austrian won the penalty and provided the assist for Luis Diaz that put Bayern Munich in the lead. So, the club won’t buy a player in the range of €80m-90m [£67.6m-76.1m] in the winter.
Have Bayern found their number one target for the summer?
❌It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich have identified Leeds United defender Tarik Muharemović as their top target for the summer. The Bosnian joined in the summer and has a contract until 2031 – so he won’t come cheap! Bayern won’t go for him at the moment and they don’t have any plans for a date as far away as the 2027 summer transfer window; that’s not really their style. They have their own shortlist, of course, and they’re aware of the centre-back, but it’s not so concrete that you can confidently claim it’s a hot transfer option for Bayern. The club already has a complete array of centre-backs, so you have to see what happens with what they’ve currently got available.
Could Chelsea’s Malo Gusto be on the move to Munich?
(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
At the end of the day, Malo Gusto is a right-back, and we already know what the situation is, given my prior comments on Konrad Laimer. The rumours around Bayern are not true. In the past, he was always a player who was on the list. I asked one of the bosses of Bayern Munich if the 23-year-old is a topic, and the answer was along the lines of: Well, Mal Gusto means “bad taste” in Spanish, so there’s your answer. It won’t happen now.
Bayern vs Dortmund for Lucá Williams-Barnett
I can’t deny this news (that Bayern are interested in Lucá Williams-Barnett), but I don’t have any confirmation on this front as of yet. I don’t think it’s true at the moment. Perhaps they’ve watched the Tottenham midfielder, but I can’t say that there is anything absolutely concrete at the moment. Nonetheless, I will make some talks and calls, and perhaps I’ll hear something! But at the moment, it’s quiet with this name.
Italy trying to get ahead in the race for Finn Jeltsch?
(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
❌It is NOT TRUE: Inter Milan want to get ahead of the competition to sign Finn Jeltsch in 2027. It’s not concrete at the moment. Many clubs are, of course, watching this player. Inter have a German national player in Yann Bisseck. They’re very confident in him and have given the centre-back a new contract. We’ve spoken about Real Madrid and their interest in Jeltsch previously. Sami Khedira, a former Germany international and VfB Stuttgart player, is the assistant to José Mourinho. He knows the player and he’s familiar with Stuttgart’s management. Jeltsch is on the list of many, many clubs, but nothing is concrete at the moment. I have the feeling that Bayern Munich would be one Finn Jeltsch’s preferred destinations. However, FC Bayern aren’t concrete with the German either at this stage. Let’s see what the season brings.
Johannes Schenk is not an option
❌It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich could activate Johannes Schenk’s buyback clause and make their former Campus goalkeeper Jonas Urbig’s No.2. FC Bayern know the player very well, but at the moment he would be a No.3 for the club. The Bundesliga giants are searching for another profile, one carrying more experience. We’ve spoken previously about Bernd Leno, Marvin Schwäbe, Oliver Baumann, and Finn Dahmen. At the moment, Schenk isn’t the right man for the position. Perhaps they’ll bring him back later if he doesn’t have a future at any club in the No.3 position.
The matching right for Adin Ličina
(Photo by Luca Amedeo Bizzarri/Getty Images)
He’s an interesting player! I’m not sure what Bayern are planning to do in his case. They currently have a lot of talents. Don’t forget one talent currently on FC Bayern’s books, Javi Fernández, who you have to keep an eye on. He’s 19 years old and on loan at FC Nürnberg. Miroslav Klose, our famous striker with the World Cup-winning Germany team, said he knew only two players who were that good already at that age, and these were Thomas Müller and Toni Kroos. Big names! Bayern has a lot of quality young talents on the books, and that’s without mentioning players currently filing out for the senior team! They have Lennart Karl, Tom Bischof, Jonas Urbig, Nathaniel Brown, Aleksandar Pavlović, the list goes on. So, it’s hard for young players to get regular minutes. With that in mind, I would wait to see what happens with Ličina.
Arsenal are interested in Min-jae Kim
✅It is TRUE: Min-jae Kim is officially on Arsenal’s list. I’ve had this news confirmed. It’s partly because of the injury to Piero Hincapié. Also, the scouting chief, Maurizio Micheli, is the same one who discovered the South Korean during his time at Napoli. Now, he works for Arsenal, which is why he has the centre-back on his radar. They are looking for a potential defensive signing for the winter, so perhaps Kim could be sold with the right offer. We have to see what happens!