Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich does not want to comment on his pending free agency, while sporting director Christoph Freund is “sure” that the midfielder will be back next season.
So what’s the deal? Well, until Kimmich’s name is on the dotted line of a new contract, other clubs will be in pursuit…including Liverpool FC:
Liverpool are one of the clubs to have made a move for the potential free transfer of Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich, CaughtOffside understands.
Sources close to the situation have provided an update on Kimmich’s situation at Bayern, with the experienced Germany international yet to agree to a new contract at the Allianz Arena.
Although Bayern want to keep Kimmich, he’s yet to reach an agreement and his future remains uncertain, with Liverpool among the numerous top clubs to have registered their interest in him.
As well as Liverpool, Kimmich also has a “serious” option in the form of Real Madrid, while Manchester City, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are also all keen on the 29-year-old.
Kimmich is closing in on becoming a free agent as his Bayern contract expires this summer, and it could be that we’ll soon be seeing him in the Premier League. Although LFC aren’t exactly desperate for new midfielders, it’s easy to see why they might be tempted to try their luck with a move for Kimmich given his availability on a free transfer.
Kimmich can provide some experience and winning know-how to the Liverpool midfield, giving Arne Slot some more squad depth behind the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. Still, CaughtOffside understands that Real Madrid also look to be in a strong position with Kimmich, as they’ve often done well in recent times to sign big names on free transfers, most notably Kylian Mbappe and Antonio Rudiger.
Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Hugo Larsson is one of the most sought after players in the Bundesliga — and Arsenal FC might be willing to make him the next big revenue jolt for Die Adler:
Arsenal have enquired about the availability of Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Hugo Larsson.
This is not the first time that Arsenal has been linked to the Swedish prodigy and as his performances continue to improve, his stock will surely rise as well.
Bayern Munich bounced back with a win over SC Freiburg, but not everything is sitting pretty at the moment.
The Bavarians are not exactly a well-oiled machine in the attack at the moment and the coach has been a bit resistant to rotate. It can get a lot better, but will it? We think so, but the club is going to do a better job of moving on from things that don’t work. Let’s dive in. This is what we have on tap for this episode of the Bavarian Podcast Works Show:
- Some final takeaways on Bayern Munich’s win over SC Freiburg.
- Is Bayern Munich setting the bar too low for itself? Does the club need to separate itself from underachieving players?
- Transfer deadline takes on Jonas Urbig, Mathys Tel, Christopher Nkunku, Dean Huijsen.
- Maybe less is more when it comes to talking about Joshua Kimmich’s future.
SC Freiburg Noah Atubolu is still irate about Kim Min-jae’s goal and does not think it should have counted.
“For me, [Joshua] Kimmich shot the ball at goal,” Atubolu said. “If I didn’t contest the ball, it would have gone into the back of the net. If I’m blocked like that when taking on a shot, I don’t know if it’s legal. If Kim pushes me into the goal with his hand and I lose my balance when I jump, then I can’t stand stable.
“It looked like a 50-50 decision. I think you could have whistled that. I don’t understand [the VAR protocols]. Some scenes are looked at. Some aren’t.
“He [match-official Siebert] didn’t want to hear it. I was so annoyed that I had to take it [the yellow automatically doled out to non-squad captains addressing the ref in accordance with Bundesliga rules]. It’s annoying for all of us as we could have gotten more out of it.”
If Bayern Munich truly wants Christopher Nkunku, it might have to get moving. Manchester United is reportedly getting serious about pitching a loan deal to Chelsea FC:
Manchester United are weighing up a loan move for Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku, according to Sky Sports. The club are said to be “discussing internally” whether they’ll pursue a loan, with a permanent deal currently out of the question. This report doubles down on an earlier report by ESPN that Man United were keeping a close eye on Nkunku. The 27-year-old is viewed as one of several forwards who could suit manager Ruben Amorim’s system — and potentially replace the outgoing Marcus Rashford. Winger Alejandro Garnacho has also been linked with a move away from Old Trafford, with some outlets suggesting a swap deal involving Nkunku could become an option for United and Chelsea.
After a loss during a midweek Champions League tilt vs. Feyenoord, Bayern Munich was desperate, reeling, and injured going into the Black Forest to face an equally-reeling SC Freiburg.
Bayern Munich pulled out a 2-1 victory, but it was not overly impressive. In fact, SC Freiburg made a pretty valiant effort at the end, which could have been disastrous for 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 was surprising. Michael Olise was a shocking omission.
- A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
- Something is missing from this team at the moment and it is hard to pinpoint exactly what is preventing the squad from reaching its potential.
- Some final thoughts and takeaways on the match.
Jhon Durán was the darling of Aston Villa’s Champions League win over Bayern Munich — and that status might be helping keep him off of the club’s “for sale” list:
Aston Villa are not prepared to entertain offers for Jhon Durán unless their £85m valuation is met. West Ham United made a £57m bid for the 21-year-old Colombian on Monday.
The reality that Alphonso Davies will re-up with Bayern Munich has hit Real Madrid and now the club is looking for alternatives:
In the past few weeks, Real Madrid have been dealt a major blow with regard to their pursuit of top defensive target Alphonso Davies.
Despite a long-standing interest in the player, the Spanish giants were unable to convince the Canadian international to join the club on a free transfer.
The player, instead, is poised to sign a contract extension with Bayern Munich, thus prompting Real Madrid to find other alternatives in the market.
One of those alternatives is Alvaro Carreras, a player in huge demand right now in light of his brilliant season at SL Benfica.
In recent weeks, Real Madrid have been closely following the progress of Carreras, a former La Fabrica trainee. But they are not the only club interested in his services, with Barcelona also keeping tabs.
Although Barcelona are still a lucrative destination for any young player, Real Madrid can hope to beat the Catalans through their financial firepower.
To that end, Fichajes reports that interested parties will have to shell out €18 million in order to acquire the services of Alvaro Carreras.
Bayern Munich got battered in Rotterdam by Feyenoord and it opened up a whole lot of discussion about what might be going on with Bayern Munich and why the squad has come up so small at times this season.
Let’s talk about what is going on, why fans are so irate, and what might need to change ahead of next season:
- Is Joshua Kimmich correct? Is Bayern Munich not a top team at the moment?
- Will Kimmich’s decision on his future be impacted by games like Feyenoord?
- What is going on with Harry Kane?
- Kim Min-jae made another high-profile mistake at a time where he is playing with an injury. How can Bayern improve defensively?
- Should Vincent Kompany be on the hot seat? He said he knew what Feyenoord was going to do…so why was the result so bad?
- How much change needs to happen for 2025/26?
How bad have things gotten for Timo Werner? Well…how does this sound, “Timo Werner, New York Red Bulls” on the marquee?
Per reports, the MLS outfit is talking with its parent company about shifting Werner’s next move from Germany to the United States. Werner’s loan with Tottenham Hotspur ends after this season and he is considered to be attainable for NYRB, which should tell us something:
The New York Red Bulls have entered talks to sign Germany international Timo Werner, per Footmercato. The 28-year-old, who is on loan at Tottenham from RB Leipzig, could soon be heading to MLS on a permanent basis. Should negotiations be successful, it remains to be seen when he’d join the Red Bulls, as Werner’s Spurs loan doesn’t end until June. He is under contract with RB Leipzig until 2026, having joined the club in a €20m deal from Chelsea in August 2022.
If Werner makes this decision, it will be hard to come back to European football. Chelsea FC broke this guy and he has never been able to be fixed since. Regardless, Werner would do well to think about restarting his career in Germany on a lower-rung-to-mid-tier Bundesliga side. We suggested VfB Stuttgart (though, when healthy, Stuttgart is a top-six side), but just about anywhere will do. Going to the United States will not help Werner at this stage.
Whatever he decides, Werner will have to swallow some pride, clear his mind, and be ready for a full reboot.
Barcelona want to sign Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford and the forward is willing to take a pay cut to get a move this month, says the Daily Star. Rashford, 27, is out of favour at Old Trafford but has limited options due to his high wages. The England international has a preference to move to Barcelona and Mundo Deportivo claims that the financially stricken club could try to move on defender Andreas Christensen so they can make room for Rashford.
Well…maybe not. Per another report (El Nacional via 90Min.com), West Ham could now be the landing spot for Rashford:
West Ham United, thanks in part to the appointment of Graham Potter, have emerged as unlikely frontrunners in the race to sign Manchester United misfit Marcus Rashford this month. Barcelona feel ‘betrayed’ by the forward’s change in mind.
Bayern Munich traveled to Rotterdam to face off with Feyenoord and while the Bavarians were not exactly given a warm reception, the visitors certainly did not make themselves at home either in a stunning 3-0 defeat.
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 looked confused and lethargic at times to start things off.
- Feyenoord was on a mission and goalkeeper Justin Bijlow was sensational.
- What a disaster for Bayern Munich.
- Some final thoughts and takeaways on the match.
