Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies and Bayer Leverkusen ace Florian Wirtz will be two of the biggest names bandied about in the transfer market during the summer transfer window.
Unfortunately for Bayern Munich, Real Madrid might be closing in on laying the groundwork to land both of them per The Athletic.
The Davies situation has always revolved around Real Madrid, despite the late rush of interest from FC Barcelona and Manchester United in recent weeks. Now, though, we are just weeks away from Real Madrid formally being able to get something done and — after a cold spell — Real Madrid could be ready to heat things back up per The Athletic (as captured by @iMiaSanMia):
Last summer, Real Madrid had reached a verbal understanding with Alphonso Davies’ agents on what would be the terms of his signing for 2024 or 2025, as a free agent and with a signing bonus. Since then, the situation has cooled, but recently the Spanish club has moved closer. The player has a lot of other suitors, too.
Davies, whose career trajectory had plateaued under Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel has experience a massive resurgence un Vincent Kompany. Now, the €14 million to €16 million salary that Davies was rumored to be seeking does not seem all that outrageous. Will Bayern Munich cave on their stringent financial objectives to re-up the Canadian or will they let him a walk away for free?
Similarly, Real Madrid is very interested in Wirtz, but a deal for him might be unattainable if Leverkusen holds out for a nine-figure transfer fee (which is fully expected) per The Athletic. In this case, though, it does appear as if Bayern Munich is ready to buck up for a big salary and a massive transfer fee:
Florian Wirtz is very much liked by Real Madrid, but the deal seems unfeasible for them because Bayer Leverkusen want more than €100million.
Amid all of this, one thing is clear — Real Madrid and Bayern Munich will be butting heads over a couple of very key players, who could influence the future for both teams.
What do you think will happen?
Poll
Who will Bayern Munich end up with next summer?
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Both Alphonso Davies and Florian Wirtz.
(0 votes)
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Alphonso Davies, but not Florian Wirtz.
(0 votes)
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Florian Wirtz, but not Alphonso Davies.
(0 votes)
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Neither player!
(0 votes)
0 votes total Vote Now
Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show Season 4, Episode 20
Bayern Munich is in the midst of the tough stretch before the Winterpause, but the squad is riding high and playing extremely well under Vincent Kompany.
That said, there are quite a few hit discussions topics surrounding the team at the moment, so we are going to tackle those and some other fun things on this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show. This is what we have on tap:
In the spirit of the holiday (at least for those of us in the United States), let’s talk about what we’re thankful for with Bayern Munich so far this season.
Does the greater Bundesliga need Borussia Dortmund to win this weekend to save the league title race?
Let’s talk about the latest Leroy Sané rumor and what that might mean for the team moving forward.
Song of the Week: “Mother” by Danzig
Originally released in 1988, this song gained popularity over the years and (almost) made into the mainstream (which might have infuriated Glenn Danzig). It was remix and remastered a few different times, but no matter which version you listen to, they are all terrific. Start your Friday off with the hard sounds of Danzig:
If you wanted to check out “Mother ‘93”, here you go:
Entertainment Rundown
I have not dove into anything as of yet, but I do have a couple of things on my agenda: Deadpool & Wolverine and Cobra Kai’s season six, part two.
Once I get those going...
Bayern open to loaning youngsters in January
Bayern Munich youngsters like Mathys Tel and Arijon Ibrahimović might not want to get too comfortable. With limited minutes available, sporting director Christoph Freund seems open to loaning players like that out in January.
“We’re speaking to the players and also discussing things with the coaching staff because it’s important to us that the boys make good development steps. We will look at what is best for each individual player. The boys are training at a very high level here, they can learn a lot from that, but match practice is of course also very important,” Freund said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show: Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich
After Bayern Munich took down Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, the Bavarians are in a “out of the frying pan and into the fire” situation.
Bayern Munich will travel to Westfalenstadion to take on Borussia Dortmund and The Yellow Wall. There is no bigger event in the Bundesliga for the Hinrunde than Der Klassiker, so let’s get to it and discuss all of that and more on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show. This is what we have on tap:
Can Bayern Munich carry the momentum from its PSG win?
A look at the recent form of each team and where they fall in the Bundesliga table.
A look at the rosters and injuries for Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI...will there be any rotation?
A prediction on the match.
Predictions
Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund is at home and desperately needs this game for a number of reasons, but it will not be easy for the home side.
Bayern Munich is motivated, playing well, and looking like it is ready to go on one of those famed runs where they are going to decimate every club in their path.
This game might not be a blowout, but it is hard to see the Bavarians not having firm control of it from start to finish. And while it has been a long time since the squad has given up a goal, BVB will muster up just enough to break that streak for Bayern Munich, but not quite enough pull off the upset win.
Prediction:Borussia Dortmund1-2 Bayern Munich
Other Bundesliga Predictions:
Holstein Kiel 1-1 St. Pauli
Union Berlin 0-3 Bayer Leverkusen
RB Leipzig 2-1 VfL Wolfsburg
Werder Bremen 1-2 VfB Stuttgart
FC Augsburg 1-0 VfL Bochum
SC Freiburg 1-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Mainz 05 2-2 Hoffenheim
Heidenheim 1-3 Eintracht Frankfurt
DFB-Pokal
Now...this match presents a problem. Bayern Leverkusen is not quite reeling, but they are starting to feel the pressure of being the hunted instead of the hunters has seemingly hit the squad hard.
Some players have been banged up, others have not hit the same level of performance as last season, and things just have not been the same for Xabi Alonso’s crew.
This truly should be a fascinating match-up for a million reasons — and not the least of which is how Alonso and Kompany square off in a battle of the brains. Last time around, Alonso won on a technicality as he baited Bayern Munich into facing a low block with very little threat of an attack...until there wasn’t. The end result was draw, but that is not possible this time around and Bayern Munich is going to be more prepared this time around.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Other DFB-Pokal matches include:
Arminia Bielefeld 0-1 SC Freiburg
SSV Jahn Regensburg 1-3 VfB Stuttgart
Werder Bremen 2-1 SV Darmstadt 98
FC Köln 2-1 Hertha Berlin
VfL Wolfsburg 1-2 TSG Hoffenheim (I keep picking Hoffenheim and they keep hosing me...I am a sucker)
Karlsruher SC 0-2 FC Augsburg
RB Leipzig 2-3 Eintracht Frankfurt
Prediction Records
Last Week Bundesliga: 6-3 (Through Matchday 11)
Overall Bundesliga: 45-53
UEFA Nations League: 81-66
Champions League: 48-42 (Through Matchday 5)
DFB-Pokal: 36-12 (Through 2nd Round)
Total: 210-173
Perfect Picks: 36 (when the score and winner is predicted exactly)