The Bayern Insider: Man Utd ace Munich-bound? Arsenal to sign Bundesliga stalwart? | OneFootball

Welcome to today’s exclusive & comprehensive round-up of all things Bayern Munich from Bayern insider Christian Falk. Featuring updates on Julian Alvarez, Givairo Read, Diogo Dalot and Leon Goretzka.

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It was a bit of a strange situation during Bayern’s 2-2 draw in Hamburg. I think the referee didn’t have his best day. After the game, there were many discussions taking place outside the dressing room about the refereeing performance. Harry Kane is one of the biggest gentlemen in the sport, and if he’s angry with the decision-making of the referee, you know something significant has happened. Of course, Bayern are getting a little nervous after a two-game Bundesliga streak in which they haven’t won a game. The last time this happened was back in March 2025, when they lost 3-2 to Bochum before drawing 1-1 with Union Berlin.

Now, there are only six points between Dortmund in second and Bayern at the top of the table! On Sunday, Bayern play Hoffenheim, who are the surprise outfit of the 2025/26 season. They are en route to a Champions League spot, as things currently stand, and now they’re set to pay a visit to Munich. So, it’s getting very interesting!

Nico Schlotterbeck vs Dortmund chiefs

Nico Schlotterbeck said before that he wanted to win titles. When he signs autographs in future, he wants to be able to say that he’s won titles. Now, with Dortmund only six points behind Bayern in the title race, he’s said that the club have to be talking itself up as a potential champion of Germany. If not Dortmund, who else instead of Bayern? So, I think it’s in Dortmund’s interests to encourage rather than downplay his personal ambition.

(Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)

Dayot Upamecano has signed a new contract at Bayern, so that’s one less exit route open for Schlotterbeck. He would like to move to FC Bayern. It’s a difficult situation for him. He has to decide, by the end of the season, whether he’s going to extend his contract at the Signal Iduna Park. I think Dortmund very much need this winning mentality – the belief that they can be the German champions. They have to!

Bayern Munich confident in Givairo Read chase

✅ It is TRUE: Bayern remain confident that they’re in the lead for Givairo Read. They have a clear plan in place for the Feyenoord fullback – he’ll be playing at right-back. This then frees up Josip Stanišić to return to centre-back and Konrad Laimer to the midfield, and it also means the centre-backs have more space to work with. I think playing time at a top club, which is guaranteed, is a big thing. Bayern Munich are also prepared to pay big money, same as the English clubs, so I think this is a good opportunity. When I’ve talked with the bosses at the club, I hear they’re very optimistic that they can get this player. So, they should have some pre-agreement in place, I think.

Bayern missed out on Luka Vušković

✅ It is TRUE: Bayern could have secured Luka Vušković for a bargain fee. He was offered to Bayern when he was about 15 years old in February 2023. There was an option to buy him for €3m [£2.6m] from Hajduk Split, then maybe €2m [£1.7m] in add-ons. But Bayern wasn’t so sure if the risk was worth it for the talent at that stage. Many clubs were at the table; Real Madrid, I heard, were willing to pay €12m [£10.4m] at this point. But in the end, the race was decided by Tottenham, who paid €15m [£13m]. A lot of money! Too much for a German club to pay for a young talent. But in the end, when they know how he’s turned out, and everyone is saying Vušković is playing very well, it’s only natural there’s a little bit of regret.

This is why Bayern are again in talks with the Tottenham loanee’s agent, Pini Zahavi, who’s living in London. Everyone will be more than aware of the fact that he’s one of the top agents in Europe. Very interestingly, Bayern Munich centre-back Jonathan Tah is also a client of Zahavi’s, and he recently spoke out about Luka Vušković being a great talent and that his development puts him in line for a move to a top club, and that he’s in contact with the Croatian defender. If the two share the same agency, and Tah knows who he is, I think you can put two and two together.

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Is Diogo Dalot of interest?

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich are interested in Manchester United right-back Diogo Dalot. Bayern have a list with many, many players on it. Of course, they know the player, but at the moment, they don’t have the money for such a move. They have a clear plan for the defence, and they are searching additionally for offensive options. The biggest fee will go to the offensive line – they’re searching for a player behind Luis Diaz. Every other target is parked in the back until they know what they’re going to do with the position.

Potential outgoings for Bayern Munich & Arsenal interest?

✅ It is TRUE: Galatasaray are interested in the permanent transfer of Sacha Boey. The fullback played for the Turkish giants previously, before moving to Bayern for a fee of €30m [£26m]. You have to say that he never quite proved his worth on the pitch for the Bundesliga side. Since then, Bayern have been searching for potential suitors. Lyon wanted to buy Boey, and there was some interest from Premier League clubs, but he wasn’t willing to make the move. Now, however, there was a clear signal that he wouldn’t get more playing time in Munich.

Galatasaray’s interest couldn’t have come at a better time. He likes the club and city. Normally, Bayern Munich just want to sell, but there was no option for this. Instead, it’s ended up being a loan deal. It’s Bayern’s hope that Galatasaray will activate their buy option for €15m [£13m] and re-sign their former player at the end of the season. As I write this on Thursday, he’s on a plane to make his way over for a medical. In Turkey, the transfer window is open until 11 February, so there’s time left for this transfer. Bayern would love to have some money for Boey, and ideally not pay his salary!

✅ It is TRUE: Bayern’s demands over Bryan Zaragoza almost derailed a deal. Celta Vigo had agreed a loan deal for the forward, with the Bundesliga champions getting €1.25m [£1m]. Then there were rumours that Roma really wanted Zaragoza and were prepared to pay Celta Vigo €3m to get the loan deal. Bayern then turned around and suggested that if Roma were prepared to pay more for the loan, maybe they could get some of that fee. Everyone was then left a little frustrated by this, and it seemed like the deal could collapse under the weight of these fresh demands.

(Photo by Ion Alcoba Beitia/Getty Images)

Bayern Munich then relented and said, “Okay, we won’t look for some extra money.” The buy-option, however, is now a little higher. Before, for Celta Vigo, it was set at €12m. Now it’s €13.5m, if Roma will buy Zaragoza at the end of the season. There are clauses included that would obligate Roma to pay out the buy-option, for instance, if he plays 50% of the games and Roma qualify for Europe (Europa League would be enough). So it’s a potentially good deal still for Bayern in the end.

✅ It is TRUE: Alexander Nübel is attracting interest from English and Italian clubs. This is very much Bayern Munich’s hope, as he has a very high salary (€10m in all) and the Bavarians are currently paying two-thirds of it (about €6.6m [£5.73m]). No one else in the Bundesliga could afford to pay him – not even VfB Stuttgart! In the past, there were always rumours around Nübel and the Premier League. Not quite in the range of a top six club, but around the midtable with outfits like Brighton and Hove Albion.

Everyone is searching, and Nübel would be prepared to make this step. He still hopes to be the future No.1 of the national team. At the moment, it’s Oliver Baumann (35), and Marc-André ter Stegen is injured again, which is a huge pity, as it means he’s unlikely to play a part in the upcoming World Cup this summer. This is the big chance for Alexander Nübel. In his view, a transfer to the Premier League could help him achieve this target.

✅ It is TRUE: Arsenal made an offer for Leon Goretzka shortly before the transfer deadline. This was a very interesting option for the German, but at this point, he’d already decided he wouldn’t move in the winter. When Atletico Madrid knocked at his door, he made an official statement on his Instagram account – as did Bayern Munich. It’s not the way of Goretzka to break his word at the last minute – even for Arsenal!

I think he has a good idea for the Premier League. He believes his playing style suits the English top-flight. There’s still, also, the interest from Atletico Madrid, so plenty of options for the future. Italy is also an opportunity, with interest from Juventus, Milan, Napoli. Arsenal, of course, would have been interesting for the midfielder, but the offer came too late on deadline day, which didn’t leave anyone enough time to react. What a pity for Arsenal and Goretzka!

Do Bayern want to sign a USA prodigy?

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern are close to signing Nimfasha Berchimas from Charlotte FC. He’s an interesting player. There are plenty of Bayern scouts in the USA, and they have a partner club in Los Angeles FC. Berchimas is known to Bayern; he was involved in a training session for Bayern Munich (and also with Manchester United), but it’s not hot at the moment. It’s also worth pointing out that the player hasn’t turned 18 yet (February 22 is his birthday – then he’d be able to sign for Bayern). At the moment, it doesn’t seem like a move is going to happen. We have to wait and see what happens in the future, but I can’t say this is a done deal at present.

Real Madrid and Lennart Karl

Lennart Karl’s contract will automatically extend on his birthday (until 2029) on 22 February. Bayern won’t sell this player. They don’t want to sell this player. He’s very much a player for the future. He’s German, and he comes from the Bayern campus. They also intend to sign him up on a longer contract, before the World Cup, until 2031. There are talks with his agent, Michael Ballack, which I believe will succeed in the end and see the youngster earn more money. Even if this doesn’t work out, FC Bayern won’t sell Karl now. He’s a firm part of Vincent Kompany’s plans, and they won’t give him away – not even to Real Madrid.

For the record, every interested club in the world would have to think about an offer well over €100m [£87m]. Real Madrid have to bring this offer in, and only then will Bayern Munich discuss it. They obviously brought in Luis Diaz this summer for €70m [£60.9m]; he’s a very good player, but he’s not young anymore, so resale value is out of the question. Nor is he German. So, if you have a talent like Lennart Karl, you have to treat him like the future of Bayern Munich. In that case, €100m is arguably not enough!

Could Julian Alvarez be heading to Munich this summer?

(Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern are working on a transfer for Julian Alvarez. He’s an interesting player, but when I spoke with some guys from Bayern, they said they didn’t need these rumours at the moment – they wanted a quiet transfer window. So they won’t go for him at the moment. They’d love to have a player like him in the team, but with a contract until 2030, it’s a no-go. They did try to sign him in 2023, around the time Harry Kane signed; they were thinking about another striker and whether having the Englishman alone was enough. But, at the moment, it’s not a move they’re going to push for.

Bayern Munich planning for the future

Michael Wiesinger has a past at Bayern Munich; he played here before, and he did a really good job at FC Nürnberg – many talents were sold for a lot of money. Yes, he’s doing a very good job. He has what we call in Germany “stallgeruch”, which means someone who already understands the culture at a football club and fits snugly with its principles and shared values. So, I think this is a very good option. He’s not one of those guys who always have to be in the first row – he’s a quiet worker. You need people like this. So, hopefully, it means we get some more talents for Bayern Munich!

✅ It is TRUE: Bayern are planning to set up an academy in San Diego. You can see that Bayern Munich are working on building a pathway to Munich from the American market. There’s big potential here. The players are cheaper, and they also want to have some kind of impact as a club on the American market. They’re trying to sell TV rights and build up a fanbase presence. Plus, if you end up signing some top young talents on top of this, it’s a great deal all around! There were many tryouts there in the past. Everyone is hoping that the club can find more deals like Alphonso Davies, who was playing for the Vancouver Whitecaps. So the search continues!