We love a good swap rumor around these parts and this one is so ludicrous that we had to feature it. Imagine…Bayern Munich sending Thomas Müller to…Real Madrid (!?) for…Arda Güler.
Now that you have have stopped your laughing, let’s humor Defensa Central and see what their initial report said:
Arda Guler suffered a difficult start to the season as he did not see the minutes he would have liked to enjoy at Real Madrid, especially given what he has shown with his national team.
In recent weeks, however, Carlo Ancelotti has given the youngster more prominence and he looks to be in the ascendency.
Now, according to reports from Defensa Central, Bayern Munich offered Los Blancos a player trade involving the Turkish sensation and hoped to send club legend Thomas Müller the other way.
The Bavarians’ proposal was to sign Guler from Real Madrid in exchange for Müller who is a champion in his own right. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, however, refused to even consider the possibility, and rightfully so.
I love to entertain even the most absurd of swap deals, but this might be the most outrageous story we have seen for a numbers of reasons including these:
- Why would Real Madrid want Müller?
- Why would Müller want to go to Real Madrid?
- Swapping a 19-year-old for a 35-year-old is completely insane?
Regardless, this was a gentle reminder that just when you think you have seen the most ridiculous transfer rumor, Spain is always lying in wait to up the ante.
FC Barcelona’s post-Robert Lewandowski plan includes Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyökeres, but the Catalans might have a hard time competing with Manchester City and Manchester United:
Barcelona are trailing in the race to sign Sporting CP star Viktor Gyökeres, according to Diario Sport. Manchester United and Manchester City are strong contenders to sign the Sweden international, who has scored 24 goals in 21 games for Sporting this season. Barça considered Gyökeres as a potential candidate to replace Robert Lewandowski.
However, with Lewandowski edging closer to an automatic contract extension which will see him stay until June 2026, Barça are reluctant to make a big investment in a position that is already covered. Meanwhile, Foot Mercato reports that Paris Saint-Germain are no longer in the race for Gyökeres. Despite sporting director Luis Campos beginning talks with the 26-year-old’s representatives regarding a potential switch to the Parc des Princes, coach Luis Enrique does not think he would fit his system.
Bayern Munich’s first half (for all intents and purposes) is almost over and while the team is wrapping things up on the pitch, there is a lot of work being done in the boardroom.
Let’s chat about what’s going on with the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show. This is what we have on tap:
- Vincent Kompany must figure out a way to rotate better. Bayern Munich has been lucky with players like Joshua Kimmich, Dayot Upamecano, and Kim Min-jae, but are they at-risk?
- Did Joshua Kimmich win the negotiation war with Bayern Munich? If so, what does that mean for Alphonso Davies. Speaking of Davies, there is a wild Real Madrid spin on why things might have soured between the two parties
- Meanwhile, Leroy Sané could be reading the writing on the wall and is — allegedly — willing to take a pay cut.
- A brief Entertainment Rundown.
Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia could find himself on the transfer radar of Manchester City:
Manchester City have identified Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as their top attacking target ahead of the January transfer window and will look to beat Barcelona, Liverpool and Real Madrid to his signature.
Real Madrid has been keeping an eye on Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch and could be thinking about making a move for him during the summer:
Real Madrid are exploring a future move for Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch after being impressed by his start to the season.
How would things have worked out for Gravenberch if he had just rolled with the punches at Bayern Munich?
Bayern Munich will travel to Mainz 05 for a Bundesliga tilt where head coach Vincent Kompany will have to continue to work through the mini-injury crisis that is going on at the moment.
So far, Kompany has managed it with aplomb…can he keep it going? Let’s talk about all of that and more on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show. This is what we have on tap:
- Can Bayern Munich stay hot against a pesky Mainz 05 squad?
- 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 Mainz 05 and Bayern Munich.
- A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI…will Kompany use any young players?
- A prediction on the match.
Paris Saint-Germain might be souring on Gianluigi Donnarumma, which could make him a prime candidate for sale this summer:
Gianluigi Donnarumma’s Paris Saint-Germain contract extension is on hold because of his recent club form, RMC Sport reports. The French outlet explains that his displays are “not in line with the salary increase requested.” The 25-year-old Italian goalkeeper is under contract at PSG until June 2026, having joined the Ligue 1 giants back in 2021. He was left out of the Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich last week.
At one point, Donnarumma would have been a nice successor to Manuel Neuer, but the last few years have not been kind to him.
RB Leipzig would love to keep Paris Saint-Germain loanee Xavi Simons, but the cost might be too much.
Liverpool FC, Manchester United, Inter Milan, and FC Barcelona are all likely to be competing for Simons as well:
Sport Bild reports that RB Leipzig are still trying to sign Xavi Simons permanently but will face several hurdles in their pursuit of the Dutch international.
The first is that Leipzig will have to go head to head with Liverpool, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Barcelona for Xavi’s signature. All have recently enquired about the 21 year old and have the financial power to sign him.
A positive for Leipzig is that Simons feels comfortable in Saxony and under head coach Marco Rose. On top of this, talks between the Bundesliga side and Xavi’s parent club PSG are planned for the new year. However, the 21-year-old will not be making a decision on his future in January as the future of Rose will also play a part.
The next hurdle for Leipzig is the price tag. It has previously been quoted that the Dutch international could cost close to €80m. A fee that is close to unreachable for Leipzig, so a potential payment option for the Bundesliga side would be a €50m payment with PSG then receiving €30m of any future sale.
In addition, Xavi could demand close to €15m salary-wise which would heavily stretch Leipzig’s current salary structure.
Since returning to the Red Bull Arena in the summer, Xavi has struggled to match his levels from last season but that has mainly been due to an ankle injury which has kept him out since October.
Bayern Munich traveled to Gelsenkirchen to take on Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League and walked away with a convincing 5-1 victory.
Michael Olise scored twice, while Konrad Laimer, Thomas Müller, and Jamal Musiala each had goals in a dominant effort from the Bavarians. Let’s talk about how it all went down and more on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show. This is what we have on tap:
- A look at the starting XI and what it could mean for Laimer and Leon Goretzka.
- A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
- What a resurgent effort from Müller, while Musiala continued his brilliance.
- Bayern Munich’s attack was much better, but still is not clicking on all cylinders.
- Some final thoughts and takeaways on the match.
Bayern Munich stars Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala were part of WhoScored.com’s Champions League Team of the Week:
Olise was also named Champions League Player of the Week by WhoScored.com:
Finally, Olise was named to UEFA’s official Champions League Team of the Week:
So…German ice football, anyone?
