It seems unlikely that Bayern Munich would offer Alphonso Davies a proposal that would thrust him into the second highest paid player position on the squad, but here we are — at least according to a report from Marca that was captured by Goal:
Davies, whose current Bayern Munich contract expires at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, is yet to figure out if he will continue in the Bundesliga or move to Spain and Real Madrid, who have been his long-time admirers. Amid the uncertainty over the player’s future, Marca reports that the Bavarian club are reportedly planning to offer the Canadian a new bumper deal that will see him earn €25million (£20m/&25m) per season and the second-highest wage earner in the team after Harry Kane.
All the while, Real Madrid is just sitting and letting its latest offer rest:
The report adds that Los Blancos, on the other hand, are still waiting for a decision from the defender. Davies knows what the Spanish giants are willing to offer him as wages, which is likely to be less than the Bundesliga side and that they would not enter a bidding war for him. The decision now lies with the player.
What we can ascertain is that Bayern Munich will have to give Davies a substantial bump in his overall pay package (salary + bonus), but a move to being just behind Kane when Jamal Musiala and Joshua Kimmich are also up for a new deal?
Eh…it just does not add up (pun intended).
Paris Saint-Germain appears to be in the driver’s seat, but Liverpool FC, Chelsea FC, and Manchester United are all attempting to lure Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to England:
Liverpool and Chelsea have both been named as potential suitors of Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Napoli are believed to be open to parting ways with Kvaratskhelia this month as negotiations over a new contract have stalled, with Paris Saint-Germain exploring a deal believed to be worth close to €80m (£67.1m).
Meanwhile, Manchester United were recently claimed to be negotiating with Napoli over a swap deal which would send Marcus Rashford to Italy in exchange.
News of Kvaratskhelia’s availability this month came as a surprise and The Athletic note it has piqued the interest of both Liverpool and Chelsea.
ESPN added additional context to what is going on with the Georgian winger:
A meeting is set to take place between Paris Saint-Germain and Napoli next week over the proposed transfer of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Georgia superstar has already agreed personal terms with PSG on a five-year contract, but a deal between the two clubs has yet to be fully thrashed out. While the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea have also been linked with Kvaratskhelia in recent weeks, it’s the Parisians who lead the race as things stand. Should he sign, the 23-year-old’s salary at PSG is expected to be four or five times higher than what he is earning at Napoli. Kvaratskhelia has told Napoli he wants to leave.
Bayern Munich travelled to Borussia Mönchengladbach for a Bundesliga showdown to restart action after the Winterpause.
The Bavarians were able to fend off a very defensive, conservative effort from Die Fohlen to capture a 1-0 victory, though it was not easy (against Gladbach, it is never easy).
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 was surprising.
- A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
- Bayern Munich had to be patient and aggressive at the same time, which was a difficult balance.
- Gladbach came out with far more intensity in the second half and Bayern Munich struggled to deal with it.
- Some final thoughts and takeaways on the match.
Financially it would be difficult, but FC Barcelona would love to line up Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyökeres as Robert Lewandowski’s successor:
Barcelona have no money right now, but have made an enquiry to Sporting CP regarding a summer transfer for striker Viktor Gyökeres, reports Sport. The Blaugrana are reported to be lining up a move ahead of Manchester United and Bayern Munich for the 26-year-old, who is expected to stay in the Portuguese Primeira Liga this month following a verbal agreement with the club’s hierarchy. It is believed that the LaLiga club are hopeful of lowering the €80m fee by agreeing to lower the clause in the contract of Sporting winger Francisco Trincão, which would see them receive 50% of any future transfer fee.
Rocco Reitz made a strong impression during Borussia Mönchengladbach’s 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich over the weekend and AS Roma could be interested in the German starlet:
Roma are prioritising Internazionale midfielder Davide Frattesi but the Nerazzurri’s demands of €45m could make the deal complicated, so Borussia Monchengladbach’s Rocco Reitz is being viewed as an alternative at €15m-€20m. (Calciomercato)
Bayern Munich is back in action, but there might be more work going on in the boardroom than on the pitch at the moment.
Let’s talk about everything going on, including the big debate — to add a release or not add a release clause to a new contract for Jamal Musiala. This is what we have on tap for this episode of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:
- A quick rundown of Bayern Munich’s latest injury information.
- A release clause could be a potential requirement for Jamal Musiala’s camp and might be holding up his contract extension. Should Bayern Munich give-in and do it…or should it hold strong and not go down what could be a slippery slope for the future.
- Discussing the latest contract updates for Thomas Müller, Leroy Sané, and Joshua Kimmich.
- What are fair deals for Müller and Sané?
- Kimmich is taking a victory lap.
- Is Viktor Gyökeres the “next one”? Bayern Munich might think so.
- No Entertainment Rundown this week (sorry!).
Manchester United is helping us fill out our “swap deal talk” quota for 2025:
Manchester United could offer Marcus Rashford to Napoli as part of a swap bid to land striker Victor Osimhen, with Antonio Conte interested in linking up with the Englishman.
Perennial underachiever João Félix won’t be leaving Chelsea FC this month:
Chelsea will not entertain a January exit for Joao Felix and will instead wait until the summer transfer window.
The Winterpause allows us some time to reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly from the first half of the season at Bayern Munich.
In this three four-part series for Bavarian Podcast Works, we will breakdown each position group — Attack, Midfield, Defense + the coach! — discuss each player and provide rating for how we feel they have played so far this season.
Chuck and Samrin break down Vincent Kompany. Here is some of what the duo discussed on the show:
- A look at how Kompany has adjusted to life on Säbener Straße.
- How Kompany’s tactics have succeed — and struggled — at various points during the first half of the season.
- Taking a gander at how Vincent Kompany has dealt with man-management. Has he won the locker room over, but struggled with rotations? Find out.
