🚨 Christian Falk's Fact Files - Monster forward DREAMS of Liverpool TRANSFER, Viktor Gyokeres news, Barcelona tug of war, Nkunku Chelsea exit links and more
Today's exclusive transfer round-up from Bundesliga insider Christian Falk, featuring Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Frankfurt, Manchester United and more
[From left to right: Christopher Nkunku, Viktor Gyokeres and Florian Wirtz]
Today’s top stories
Bayern’s secret weapon to beat Man City and Real Madrid to Florian Wirtz…
And further updates on Jonathan Tah, Viktor Gyokeres, Hugo Larsson and more!
BAYERN MUNICH
It’s working very well with Vincent Kompany, as you can see. His system, a new system for Bayern Munich, has the club playing very offensively, which is perfect for the Bundesliga because Bayern have the best squad and they can show it in the league every week. I think there will be no big competition this season, so the championship will be much like it was for 11 years before Bayer Leverkusen’s title win in the 2023/24 season. But you saw in this season that everything isn’t quite perfect yet - especially as we’ve seen in the Champions League against Aston Villa and Barcelona, and also Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, against fast strikers who can play on the counter. It’s still very difficult for the team to handle.
We know that the championship isn’t the sole target of Bayern Munich. They have to show a very good Champions League campaign, which will be the key to determining whether the club has had a good or bad season. We’ll then see how good Kompany football is. I hope the coach gets time so he can build something in Bavaria. I remember the time when Louis van Gaal was at Bayern and, despite a very hard start at Bayern, he built some very solid foundations that the side then capitalised on for many years to come. So perhaps Kompany could follow a similar point! But things could be tricky internationally in the meantime.
Bayern have four wing players - between Serge Gnabry, Michael Olise, Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman - and I don’t think they’ll go into the next campaign with all four, as they have to sell players. In the case of Sane, they won’t be selling him, as his contract expires in less than a year (June 2025). If he becomes a free agent, of course, they’ll still have money left over as the next player to come in is unlikely to earn as much as Sane did. So, they have to make a decision, and Leroy Sane is working very hard at the moment to show that he can still be important for Bayern Munich because there have yet to be direct talks over his future. On January 1, as we all know, he can begin talks over a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club. So, he would like to get a new contract at Bayern Munich, as he’s enjoying his time at the club.
Bayern Munich have a number of strikers on their shortlist: Omar Marmoush, Viktor Gyokeres, Benjamin Sesko and Lois Openda. They’re not planning an immediate signing in the near future; it’s a list to keep in mind for the future. They are thinking about signing a striker, perhaps, in 2026. So any club that is moving now for these players has a big advantage whilst Bayern make the most of Harry Kane. Bayern won’t change their current system. Of course, they may need a striker for the bench should Mathys Tel go out on loan, which is a distinct possibility. Nottingham Forest knocked on Tel’s door but he said “no”, as he wants a club that’s playing a little higher in the Premier League and perhaps in the Champions League. In the Bundesliga, there were also Augsburg and Werder Bremen interested, which also weren’t viable options for him. Now, there are also VfB Stuttgart, who are playing Champions League football, so perhaps this could be an option. Any Premier League club that plays in the Champions League could also be a serious option for Tel.
Gyokeres isn’t their top target at the moment, though they are very interested in him. Bayern would prefer to see the Swede stay in Lisbon longer so that they could join the market later for him (when his contract is closer to running out and the price isn’t so high). The problem is that he’s playing in the same position as Harry Kane and he’s unlikely to want to stay on the bench behind the England international. Still, you see how highly rated he is that Bayern see him as a potential successor to Kane. It’s perhaps too early for Bayern to move in for him, but the interest is concrete. I would say that, perhaps, after the match against Manchester City in the Champions League, a move to the Premier League could come more quickly.
When Thomas Tuchel left his position at Bayern and Kompany came in, it wasn’t necessarily the best set of circumstances for Eric Dier. This is because the new system has Bayern’s defenders playing incredibly high up the pitch, which means the centre-backs need to be very fast with all this room behind them. This doesn’t particularly suit Dier’s game, so it doesn’t make much sense for Bayern Munich to keep him. His contract is running out and he’s 30 years of age. Bayern are looking for new and young defenders who can grow into the role (like Ousmane Diomande of Sporting Lisbon). I heard the scouts at Bayern Munich have been watching Diomande closely. Many clubs are behind him. He won’t be very cheap, but it’s an investment for the future. If Bayern can get a player of this age, I think Eric Dier has to leave. That said, if Bayern don’t sign a new player until the summer, Dier could be an option. He’s doing the job competently when he’s called upon and he’s not complaining loudly when he’s on the bench. He’s a good friend of Harry Kane, so it’s not like it’s certain he’ll leave, but he has a full perspective of his situation at the club.
BARCELONA
Pini Zahavi (Jonathan Tah’s agent), who doesn’t tend to give so many interviews, said that Bayern still has a big chance to get him - so you see how concrete it is still. However, I think the next big option for the player is Barcelona. They are interested in him and Hansi Flick absolutely loves him. He’ll be a free agent at the end of the season, so they can pay him. After that, I think Real Madrid could be the next option. At the moment, I think it’s more of a question between Bayern Munich and Barcelona - then Real Madrid come into the picture. But if Real would make a offer in the winter for Tah, they could get him. So Leverkusen could get a fee for him.
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