Bayern Munich has been listed as one of the clubs rumored to have interest in Mainz 05 phenom Brajan Gruda.
Mainz, however, is expecting Gruda to remain with the club and has not even out a number out in the market to fish for a bid:
News Brajan #Gruda | Mainz 05 assumes that he will stay next season. There is currently no price tag either. And no negotiations with other clubs at this stage. Contract valid until 2026.
But he’s also on the list of FC Bayern as there were initial talks.
➡️ About his future Gruda told us at Sky: „A difficult topic for me. For me, it’s important that I play a lot. If I transfer somewhere and don’t play, it would destroy me. Money comes eventually. The important thing is that I play a lot and continue to develop.“
➡️ Does he trust himself to play for Bayern? “I’d rather not say anything about that (laughs)“
@Sky_AlexB | @SkySportDE
Gruda would be an interesting addition to Bayern Munich. With Vincent Kompany charged to integrate young players into the squad, having Gruda as an option at wing would be one way to help the club refresh that position.
New Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany has his eyes on Chelsea FC’s Ian Maatsen, who spent last season with Borussia Dortmund on loan:
Bayern Munich, who recently announced Kompany as their new manager, knows Maatsen well from their time together at Burnley.
Now, it is believed Bayern have entered the race to sign Maatsen from Chelsea this summer, and could go toe-to-toe with Dortmund over his signature. The 22-year-old’s deal includes a £35 million release clause, but it is unclear whether either side are willing to pay it.
“He’s part of such a very strong list of players who have done really well for us this season,” said ex-Burnley boss Kompany on Maatsen.
“The ingredients are always the same. He’s got to be coachable in a sense that when he’s not doing well we’ve got to be able to tell him and eventually learn from his mistakes. He’s got to be willing to work hard, he does that terrifically, and get better.
“He’s just turning into something that we expected him to be able to become. He’s a very, very versatile full-back with lots of energy and great potential.”
There is a lot of moving and shaking going on at Bayern Munich and the German national team these days, which means there is a lot to talk about. This is what we have on tap for the latest edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:
- Vincent Kompany wants to play a 4-4-2 (hmmm), sell some wingers (yeah!), and has six players targeted for five positions (Paris Saint-Germain’s Xavi Simons, Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah, FC Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, VfB Stuttgart’s Chris Führich, VfB Stuttgart, Fulham’s João Palhinha, and Everton’s Amadou Onana). What does all of this mean? Let’s discuss.
- Are we in the final days of Joshua Kimmich being a player at Bayern Munich?
- Is Julian Nagelsmann’s loyalty to İlkay Gündoğan going to cost him…and the German national team?
- A little bit of the Entertainment Rundown.
Bayern Munich could be among the clubs eyeing FC Barcelona prospect Mikayil Faye:
The Gunners have also made contact with Barcelona to explore a move for teenage prospect Mikayil Faye, though they will face competition for the £17m-rated left-back from Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool.
As we found out on Sunday, Bayern Munich has not given up all hope on procuring Fulham FC’s João Palhinha:
Bayern Munich have rekindled their interest in Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha ahead of the summer transfer window. Palhinha was on the verge of joining Bayern Munich last summer before the transfer fell through in the final hours of the window due to Fulham’s failure to sign a replacement.
Bayern Munich’s interest in the midfielder went cold and they did not try to sign him in the winter transfer window. However, according to German daily Bild (via Fussball Transfers), Palhinha is again back on Bayern Munich’s agenda this summer.
Germany swung and swung relentlessly at Ukraine, but the Ukrainian defense decided to honour their fellow countryman and recently crowned undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk by maneuvering expertly around all the offense thrown at them with excellent blocks and weaves.
In this episode of the Postgame Show, Cyler (Rayyan) goes over the game, including:
- The starting XIs and general shape of both Germany and Ukraine.
- The tactical decisions made by head coach Julian Nagelsmann, namely those seemingly made to conserve the players.
- How Germany are beginning to break into the final third, but are failing to break through when in the final third.
- Some exciting individual performances from Maximilian Beier and Maximilian Mittelstädt.
- Some worrying individual performances from Kai Havertz and İlkay Gündoğan.
- The social dynamics of the team, and how Gündoğan’s captaincy is likely more important behind the scenes than on the pitch.
Kylian Mbappé’s arrival at Real Madrid could push Rodrygo out the door:
Rodrygo is yet to make a decision about his future at Real Madrid after being left unsettled by Kylian Mbappé’s recent arrival.
Not everyone thinks Vincent Kompany is going to have it easy at Bayern Munich:
Former Arsenal and Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna believes new Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany has a tough task ahead.
Bayern finally gave up their hold on the Bundesliga title after more than a decade, coinciding with Harry Kane’s first season after his big-money switch from Tottenham in the summer of 2023.
Kompany meanwhile took Burnley up to the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship, but was unable to keep them in the top flight.
After being linked with a number of candidates the former champions plumped for the Belgian as their new manager.
Speaking to Coin Poker , Sagna thinks the pressure will be on Kompany from the off,
He said: “I believe it’s going to be difficult for him because he has a lot of expectations at Bayern Munich. Of course, he has the background and history of winning major trophies as a player, and he is another young manager that worked under Pep Guardiola and follows Pep’s coaching principles.
“The Bayern manager will always attract scrutiny – it’s a totally different challenge from Burnley, where, after an outstanding first season in The Championship, he was allowed to learn on the job in terms of what it takes to manage in the Premier League. He will not be afforded that luxury at Bayern Munich, who will be looking for instant success.”
The Frenchman did not think that observers could draw too many lessons from last season’s disappointment though.
He added: “I think he did an amazing job at Burnley when he guided them from The Championship into the Premier League. We all know how difficult The Championship is, and they were beating everyone. He sets high standards. Even in that record-breaking season, where they finished with 101 points, he was never pleased with the results or the player’s attitude.
“He always demanded more. I saw footage of him going crazy when they drew one of the games because the players didn’t follow his instructions. I think his personality is one of the reasons why Bayern appointed him. He’s been an important player; he knows how to win and he can relate to the younger generation of players. It would be unfair to judge him purely on last season. It’s so difficult for promoted teams to compete in the Premier League.
“You don’t have the same quality of player or financial power as most of the other teams. I’m not making excuses for him, but it was always going to be a huge challenge to keep Burnley up. At Bayern, he’s going to be working with better players and a much bigger squad. The Bayern players will understand what he wants perfectly, and that will be easier for him. It’s a new challenge for him and a new environment to work in. Without being disrespectful to Burnley’s players, he will be able to achieve more as a manager in terms of getting his ideas and his playing philosophy across because he is working with a group of world-class players.”
Bayern Munich, usually a very well run club, is going through a dreadful transition period currently. Vincent Kompany has taken over as manager and things are not exactly rosy. We look at how Kompany’s time at Bayern might pan out, recent transfer rumors and more including:
- A video of Kompany berating players is rumored to be circulating among Bayern players — will this help or hurt Kompany?
- Will many players leave Bayern Munich ahead of the next season?
- Does Bayern Munich really need to be rebuilt?
- Are the expectations for Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany too high?
- What will be considered a successful European championship tournament for Germany?
- Should Leroy Sané’s contract be extended?
- A few thoughts on Borussia Dortmund’s defeat in the UEFA Champions League final.
Manchester City attacker Julián Álvarez is on Chelsea FC’s radar:
Chelsea are interested in a move for Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez, who has grown frustrated with his limited minutes at the Etihad.
Bayern Munich center-back Matthijs de Ligt got married to longtime girlfriend Annekee Molenaar: