Bayern Munich has flirted with midfielder Adrien Rabiot many times over the years and things might have actually gotten more serious between the two parties this summer — but a renewed commitment to Joshua Kimmich playing as a central midfielder ended all of that per Sport Bild’s Christian Falk (in his work for CaughtOffside).
“There were talks in the past for Adrien Rabiot back when Hasan Salihamidžić was the sports director. At the moment, this isn’t hot, as Bayern are planning with Joshua Kimmich in this position. He will return in the midfield and be handed a clean slate,” said Falk.
Rabiot profiles more as a No. 8, which is completely overloaded on Bayern Munich’s roster at the moment. Even if Kimmich left, it would have been overkill.
João Cancelo spent time last season with FC Barcelona on loan and the Catalans would love to have him back:
Been told that @FCBarcelona are still exploring deal to sign João #Cancelo until Deadline Day!
… Al-Hilal, also there and very concrete.
No final decision from Cancelo yet but the 30 y/o right-back could leave ManCity in the next days. Contract valid until 2027.… pic.twitter.com/FJKgWGdkWA
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) August 23, 2024
Been told that @FCBarcelona are still exploring deal to sign João #Cancelo until Deadline Day!
… Al-Hilal, also there and very concrete.
No final decision from Cancelo yet but the 30 y/o right-back could leave ManCity in the next days. Contract valid until 2027.
Welcome to Part 3 of the Bundesliga 2024/25 Prediction Series!
The concept is simple: Marcus Iredahl, a Bundesliga fanatic and self-proclaimed mediocre predictor, will review all the Bundesliga teams for the upcoming 2024/25 season and predict their final standings.
So please join him as he will review all the teams, offering his insights on their summer transfer window, coach, and the top 3 players to watch this season.
Part 3 will cover predictions for the 6th to 1st place finishes. Marcus will offer insights on:
- Why Bayer Leverkusen is poised for a great season after last year’s success under Xabi Alonso.
- Why Bayern Munich needs to give new head coach Vincent Kompany time to make his mark.
- Why Nuri Sahin’s Dortmund project lacks confidence for the future.
- Why Eintracht Frankfurt could be this season’s dark horse.
- Why Benjamin Sesko is just one season away from becoming an elite striker.
- And much more!
Part 1 covered the 18th to 13th place finishes and included the following predictions:
18. VfL Bochum
17. Holstein Kiel
16. FC Heidenheim
15. FSV Mainz 05
14. FC St. Pauli
13. FC Augsburg
Part 2 covered the 12th to 7th place finished and included the following predictions:
12. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
11. SV Werder Bremen
10. SC Freiburg
9. VfB Stuttgart
8. FC Union Berlin
7. Borussia Mönchengladbach
Liverpool FC could be thinking about making a late move for Napoli attacker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia:
Liverpool are plotting a sensational late-window move for long-term target Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli, sources have told Football Insider.
The Merseyside giants have been in the market for a wide forward all transfer window and are keen to make a marquee signing this summer after missing out on multiple top targets.
Georgia international Kvaratskhelia, 23, has been on Liverpool’s radar for some time amid doubts over his future at Napoli.
However, Liverpool face a major battle to try and prise the Serie A superstar out of Napoli in the next week.
The winger has three years to run on his deal at the Diego Maradona Stadium and is valued at more than £70 million by his club.
Kingsley Coman is expected to have a reduced role at Bayern Munich (if he is not sold before the transfer window ends), but that does not mean that he would jump at any chance to leave.
“The other name is Kingsley Coman [who Bayern are keeping an eye on in case of a potential exit]. There are still talks,” per Sport Bild’s Christian Falk (in his work for CaughtOffside).
“Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahçe was interested but that’s not an option for Kingsley himself. Bayern Munich was always waiting for an offer from PSG but they had bad luck because Désiré Doué is joining PSG and not Bayern, so they now have an offensive player. Doué’s not the same kind, of course, so there’s still hope. Perhaps they could come up with a loan deal with a buy option attached, but there’s nothing concrete on that front at the moment. It seems also that Kingsley Coman will still be in Munich when the season begins.”
Well, we made it.
Through the EURO 2024 tourney, a crazy transfer window (which is still ongoing for a few more days), the preseason, and the opening DFB-Pokal match, Bayern Munich is finally ready to kick off its Bundesliga season.
Excitement does, indeed, reign supreme.
If you want our takes on the Bayern Munich vs. Wolfsburg match, check out our Preview Show, but for now, we have a lot of other Bayern news to tackle on our agenda. Let’s take a look at what is on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:
- After all of that, Leon Goretzka and Kingsley Coman are probably staying at Bayern Munich…now, what?
- More thoughts on that wild Matthijs de Ligt story.
- Germany lost a ton of experience in the last two months after the respective retirements of Toni Kroos, Thomas Müller, İlkay Gündoğan, and Manuel Neuer.
- Would Manuel Neuer have stayed with Germany under another coach?
- The four most “captain-like” players all retired, so Joshua Kimmich has to be the choice…right?
- Who else could be in contention?
Most people expect Marc-André ter Stegen to take over for the German national team now that Manuel Neuer has retired. However, Didi Hamann likes Bayern Munich’s Alexander Nübel (on loan with VfB Stuttgart) for the job.
“With Alexander Nübel you have a goalkeeper who, in my opinion, has to be the DFB goalkeeper for the next three or four tournaments. […] He is five years younger than Ter Stegen and, for me, the best at the moment. I would consider putting Nübel in goal at the next World Cup,” explained Hamann.
İlkay Gündoğan officially made the jump back to Manchester City from FC Barcelona:
Bayern Munich will kick off its Bundesliga season on Sunday vs. VfL Wolfsburg in a match that will tell us a lot about what Vincent Kompany has in its plans for the squad this season.
For the most part, Bayern Munich is healthy and seems poised to make a strong run at winning the Meisterschale. There is a lot of time between now and when that would happen, though, so fans are going to have endure through the ups-and-downs of the season.
Let’s take a look at what we have on tap for the match that will start another journey:
- What to watch for with Wolfsburg.
- A look at Bayern Munich’s injury situation.
- A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI.
- A prediction on the match.
