Welcome to today’s exclusive & comprehensive round-up of all things Bayern Munich from Bayern insider Christian Falk. Featuring updates on Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo, Nick Woltemade and more.
How did the Bayern bosses react to losing Florian Wirtz battle with Liverpool?
What impact will Club World Cup have on Bayern?
Could Rafael Leão sign for FC Bayern?
Is Cody Gakpo a serious target?
Missing out on Florian Wirtz
Florian Wirtz walks on the Allianz Arena pitch during Germany game.
(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
It was a hard punch for the Bayern bosses to miss out on Florian Wirtz. You can understand the likes of Erling Haaland or Jude Bellingham deciding to leave the Bundesliga for top clubs, like Manchester City and Real Madrid, outside of Germany – as they’re not German. Going to Bayern Munich won’t matter as much to them. But it’s the first time that a German player decided against Bayern
They were interested, and I think this is really, really hard for Bayern Munich. It’s disappointing to hear that it wasn’t even a question of money; it’s said that Wirtz will earn €20m-22m per annum at Liverpool. Bayern offered more – they would have paid about €24m – so, this is doubly hard for FC Bayern to accept.
It doesn’t just come down to Vincent Kompany’s vision for the player, it’s also about Max Eberl’s involvement (or lack of). The preparation for the deal was built from the ground up by the old bosses, like Uli Hoeneß, who arranged the meetings with the player. Florian Wirtz flew into Munich for a secret meeting. Then, it was up to the manager and director of sports to make a good impression on the player. By this point, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot must have presented a much clearer vision.
It shouldn’t be forgotten that Bayern Munich already have a key player in the central positions in Jamal Musiala – Liverpool don’t have this welcome headache. Still, you would have backed Bayern to come up with a clear plan on where Wirtz would fit in in Munich. I think, if they had settled on a plan with Musiala, Bayern could have found a solution that would have suited all parties. Ultimately, the pair work well together with the national team, so why shouldn’t it also work at Bayern Munich?
I think this was the main point that ensured talks did not go as well as hoped. The plan just wasn’t really clear. I think they had an idea about how they could use Florian Wirtz in different game states, but there was not one clear plan like Arne Slot had in terms of using the 22-year-old in central areas. All play will revolve around the German international at Liverpool; he will be the number 10. The vision at Liverpool is clear and coherent. For Munich, it was the opposite.
Did Bayern players try to convince Wirtz?
Bayern Munich’s players gave Florian Wirtz the space he needed to make his own decision. Even Jamal Musiala, despite the pair being in constant contact with each other outside of football (they’re often keeping in touch about things beyond the sport). There was not one “agent” of Bayern Munich who tried to convince him to sign for the club.
There’s still a rivalry between Bayern and Leverkusen, so there are not so many players who are close. One idea was that Jonathan Tah, who was set to sign for Bayern Munich from Leverkusen, could help with this deal. But Tah also needed time, so this wasn’t a clear avenue Bayern could pursue to boost their hopes of signing Wirtz.
Club World Cup impact on Bayern transfers
The Club World Cup trophy sitting on a plinth.
(Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Bayern take this competition very, very seriously. Partly because it’s their first time, but also because of what’s at stake in terms of financial rewards. If Bayern Munich win the Club World Cup, they could secure over €100m. This would represent a very welcome boost in the transfer market.
At the moment, you can see that Bayern have a big problem in defence. It’s not clear if Kim Min-jae can play, which is partly why they’re so keen to get Jonathan Tah over the line as soon as possible in time for the Club World Cup. Bayer Leverkusen want a fee said to be around €4m-5m to release Tah early, which is too much for Bayern Munich. They would have been willing to sanction half a million euros, perhaps a little bit more, but not as high a figure as €4m.
There’s now a separate issue with Tom Bischof, as Hoffenheim has now realised it can also squeeze some money out of Bayern. So, the club is struggling to get a team together and have a big squad for the Club World Cup. Otherwise, things could get a little difficult. Eric Dier, for instance, isn’t in the team any longer, so things aren’t quite clear at the moment.
Transfer incomings
Jonathan Tah
Bayer Leverkusen are aware of the fact that they lost a lot of money last year on Jonathan Tah. They had the green light from Max Eberl that Bayern wanted to bring Tah to Munich. In the end, however, he didn’t get the necessary thumbs-up from the supervisory board. So Leverkusen missed out on the €25m they wanted and are now set to earn nothing from the departure of their defensive leader. This is why they’re understood to be demanding a figure for Jonathan Tah’s early release, so they can get some of that lost money back. This is why they aren’t willing to compromise.
Rafael Leão
I was first told by the club that the interest in Rafael Leão was not hot. There were reports that Bayern met Leao for negotiations in Munich. There were rumors that Bayern would soon make an offer. So far, nothing has been confirmed. Nils Schmadtke, squad planner of FC Bayern, is a supporter of Leao. But for Bayern the price tag of €100m from Milan is too high for Bayern.
Nick Woltemade
Nick Woltemade runs after an airborne ball for Germany.
(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Nick Woltemade is a question for the future as far as Bayern are concerned. They have already made contact with the player to signal the fact they are interested and following his development. But, at the moment, he’s a young player, and it wouldn’t make sense to sign him given Bayern still have Harry Kane leading the line.
VfB Stuttgart are trying to give Woltemade a new contract so that he can be on a higher salary. We’re already aware of interest from Atletico Madrid. But for the time being, he’s not the number one target for Bayern Munich.
In terms of Premier League interest, there are currently clubs in the middle of the Premier League table who are keen. We’re not yet talking about interest from the likes of Arsenal nor Liverpool who are searching for a new striker.
Jamie Gittens
Jamie Gittens has always been on the list at Bayern Munich. However, he didn’t have such a consistent season in 2024/25. So, the €65m asking price Dortmund are looking for – although it may be achievable for Premier League clubs – is too much for Bayern. Bayern need a player who is consistently playing at a very high level.
So, Gittens wasn’t at the top of the shortlist. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be hard for the club to see Jamie Gittens move to the Premier League. Indeed, this is a move the England international has always signalled that he’s open to. With that in mind, Chelsea is a big option for Gittens, and I think this could be the logical next step.
Angelo Stiller
Angelo Stiller isn’t a serious topic for Bayern Munich at the present moment. This is because they’re hardly short of midfielders, including the likes of Leon Goretzka and João Palhinha, who still want to stay at Bayern despite the club clearly signalling they’d be happy to let the pair leave. There’s also the impending arrival of Tom Bischof, who is with the national team at the moment.
Bayern Munich are aware that Stiller is a very good player but they won’t be pushing to sign him this summer. At the moment, Real Madrid’s interest should be taken seriously, as Xabi Alonso likes the midfielder. That said, they’ve yet to make contact with Stuttgart. There are rumours that they want to make a bid now of €50m. We’ll have to see if this indeed comes to fruition. Regardless, FC Bayern won’t be facing Real Madrid in the transfer poker for Angelo Stiller.
Cody Gakpo
We’ve heard that Cody Gakpo could imagine signing a new contract at Liverpool. So, Bayern Munich aren’t quite sure yet whether they’re just being used as a pawn in the poker. In the past, when Uli Hoeneß was involved in transfers, Bayern have always had a Plan A when it came to transfers, but never a Plan B. Now, Max Eberl is working differently, and there are many players on the list. Gakpo is one of them but you can’t say that he’s at the top of the list.
Bayern realise that it’s not an easy feat to bring a player from Liverpool to Munich. This is why they’re checking out the alternatives available to them on the market.
Transfer outgoings
Kingsley Coman
Kingsley Coman lifts Bundesliga trophy in the air over his head.
(Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images)
Both sides are of the opinion that they will split this summer. The rumours around Barcelona are not true – they can’t afford him. By contrast, Saudi Arabia are, at the moment, more concrete for the player. Al-Hilal are interested. There’s also some small interest from Newcastle, but this isn’t Coman’s first option. So, he would rather go to Saudi Arabia and take the big paycheck. Bayern are now waiting for an official offer.
Leroy Sané
The talks with Arsenal are more concrete at the moment than with Tottenham, who have gone a little quiet in recent days. Now, everybody is waiting for a decision. Normally, they’d want a decision this week but it’s still yet to be made. So, perhaps, they will wait to see how serious Arsenal are. Leroy Sané would like to go to London – this would be his favoured option if he were to leave Bayern Munich. That was his clear message to his new agent, Pini Zahavi. Zahavi himself is based in London and is involved in talks with all the major London clubs. Now that Arsenal are on the table (they were previously with Sané’s former agent), we have to wait and see if the Gunners are prepared to get concrete.
Galatasaray Istanbul is the club most interested in making a deal. The club has the money to pay Sané. The player has not yet ruled out the option.
Sané is set to become a free agent. So, I think the main point to consider is the signing-on fee he’d potentially earn, which will be more lucrative for the player than taking a contract of €10m (plus €5m in add-ons). Bayern are, for what it’s worth, prepared to tweak this to ensure that he gets a higher base salary (for instance, €12m as opposed to €10m). Either way, Leroy Sané stands to make more out of a deal with the likes of Arsenal should he move away from Munich.
João Palhinha
At the moment, it doesn’t seem like João Palhinha is willing to leave. He’s determined to show that he’s good enough for Bayern Munich and, you know, he’s earning a lot of money. I don’t think Benfica can pay this. I think the only solution would be a return to the Premier League. That said, much in a similar vein to Serge Gnabry and Leon Goretzka – the clear signal to Bayern is that they don’t want to leave.
For Bayern, Fulham was a more concrete option because head coach Marco Silva is a big fan of the player. However, everyone knows that Bayern won’t get back the money they paid (a deal worth up to €56m).
It’s worth bearing in mind that we’re still early on in the summer. I think Palhinha will be a story that needs time to develop. When the head coach, Vincent Kompany, signals that there’ll be no chance for the Portuguese international next season, he’ll be forced to give this a serious think. There’s a World Cup year coming up, and so João Palhinha will be keen to show that he can play for Portugal. This may very well prompt him to be more open to a move away from the club.
Mathys Tel
Mathys Tel runs with the ball for Tottenham.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
There were rumours I read coming out of England that Tottenham’s buy option for Mathys Tel was already triggered as a result of matches played. That’s not true. We’ve talked with Bayern and if they want to make a deal they have to open negotiations with Spurs. These would be taken care of by Jan-Christian Dreesen, the CEO, who has a good connection with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.
Bayern know that Levy’s famous for making late deals happen to get players cheaper. So, at the moment, everyone is waiting, and nothing has concretely happened yet.
Gabriel Vidović
Bayern are prepared to let Gabriel Vidović go this summer, if he wants to go to Dinamo Zagreb. It’s not usually the first option for a Bundesliga player to go there. They are checking what’s possible. One club, which should be interesting is Braga. This could also be an option. At the end, it remains to be seen whether Vidović’s exit will be permanent or on loan. But everyone is looking to find a club for him because his chance to play next season is really low (as was proved in 2024/25 when Bayern brought him back in the winter).
Any further business before end of provisional window?
As we’ve heard, there is the question of Jonathan Tah. However, Bayern aren’t far enough in other transfers to make them possible before the early deadline (closing on Tuesday 7pm BST). So, at the moment, I wouldn’t bet that something will happen before that point.
René Marić
There was concrete interest from Hajduk Split in Bayern coach René Marić. However, the coaching team is very young. He secured his badges with Vincent Kompany and they feel very confident in what this coaching team can achieve. So, that’s why Marić decided against a move. He gave it some serious thought, of course, as it’s always a big thing to move on up and become a head coach.
In the end, however, Bayern Munich is a big club, and for the first time, he’s coaching with the senior team. Previously, he was with the youth teams. So, he’s decided he can learn more by staying put where he is.
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