The Bayern Insider: Race for Man Utd wonderkid JJ Gabriel heats up ahead of Premier League exit | OneFootball

Welcome to today’s exclusive & comprehensive round-up of all things Bayern Munich from Bayern insider Christian Falk. Featuring updates on Nick Woltemade, Lennart Karl, JJ Gabriel, and Tomás Araújo.

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Running is one of the secrets behind the success of this Vincent Kompany side. In the Bundesliga currently, Bayern Munich is always the best team with the ball. But, as you can see from the distance covered stats against Union Berlin last week, they’re also the best team without the ball. This is why the league is afraid of this Bayern side, because they’re just so hungry. They want to win titles; they want to win every possible piece of silverware up for grabs this season. It’s clear that they are hunting Dortmund, who, as of the start of the international break, have played a perfect season so far, winning four out of four Bundesliga games played. This isn’t enough for Bayern Munich; they want to win the Champions League, and for that, they have to be prepared for difficult games against Arsenal, against Manchester United, and against Atletico Madrid. The Bundesliga is just the test!

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Luis Diaz has earned a break

(Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

It’s a good decision for Luis Diaz to miss Colombia’s upcoming fixtures during the international break. Everyone is happy that Colombia agreed to this. The Bayern winger obviously played a very good World Cup for La Tricolor. This is also part of it. Last year, he didn’t have an international tournament to complicate his pre-season, so he had the energy to find his own way and figure things out at the start of the 2025/26 campaign.

The other thing to note is that FC Bayern tried really hard to find an alternative for him, in order to grant Diaz a break at times this season. That’s why we were all wondering a little why Bayern agreed to send Arijon Ibrahimović on loan to FC Augsburg. At the time, the 20-year-old thought he’d be the man who could provide some cover for Luis Diaz. Max Eberl said Bayern tried to get cover in for the Colombian, but every alternative available on the market was too expensive, as we’ve discussed previously. Bradley Barcola, for instance, who is rated very highly in Munich, was simply too expensive, and ultimately he decided for Liverpool.

Now, you have Alphonso Davies who can play on this position, but it’s not a normal alternative compared to the options on the opposite flank with Lennart Karl and Michael Olise, not to mention the young but exciting Tim Binder. You don’t have so many options on the left.

Harry Kane and the possibility of a release clause in his contract

✅ It is TRUE: The Harry Kane camp could imagine a release clause being included in his new contract. It’s very easy for me to give a “TRUE” to this story, as the report came from me! I heard about the idea of making a repeat of this release clause we saw in his last contract. If you remember, he had until January to trigger this, and then it would be possible to leave in the summer. That’s why it was brought to the table once again. Bayern Munich are not afraid of this clause, because they’ve dealt with it before and Kane never ended up triggering it. The numbers were always shrouded in secrecy, but I can say that last time it was set at about €80m [£68.6m] in the first year when he could activate it – he didn’t. In the second year, it was €65m [£55.7m to trigger it – he didn’t. Now, the contract won’t be so long and, given his age, he won’t trigger the release clause in his first season, so that’s why I think it would be okay to include the clause in his new contract. I think Bayern Munich will not put up much of a fight with regard to this question, as I don’t think Kane will need it, but it’s always good to have such insurance in place.

Bayern are in for JJ Gabriel and the timing couldn’t be better

(Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

I can say that the family – JJ Gabriel’s mother is from Cyprus, and his father, a former Republic of Ireland international – have made a decision that the teenager (15) will definitely leave Manchester United and the Premier League. He’s turning 16 on 6th October, at which point he can make key decisions about his future. One such decision will be that he’ll join the agency Epic (of Ali Barat, the agent of the year in 2025). Then there will be decisions for the future; the decision is already made that he’ll leave United. There is the special interest of elite European clubs: Bayern Munich (Christoph Freund has already admitted his admiration for the player), PSG, Barcelona, and Real Madrid. These four clubs are famous for winning titles virtually every season. That’s why the decision was made that Gabriel would leave United, as they’re not a club currently used to bringing in silverware at any comparable rate of frequency. And he wants to win titles. Look, United are obviously still a big club, but if he can move to a currently elite European outfit, he can have a greater chance of winning titles.

Is Nick Woltemade still on the radar of FC Bayern?

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich are plotting a move to sign Nick Woltemade in 2027. He’s only scored once on loan at Juventus (and that was a penalty), so he’s not doing so well over in Italy as things currently stand. Bayern Munich are very aware of the fact (I wouldn’t go as far as saying “happy”) that there was a lot of money on the table for Woltemade at the time he was moving from VfB Stuttgart to Newcastle United. FC Bayern had offered over €50m [£42.8m], while Newcastle paid over €80m [£68.5m] in the end. Now, the new Newcastle head coach, Matthias Jaissle, admitted Woltemade wouldn’t be central to his plans at the club, which prompted the German’s move to Turin.

It’s a difficult situation for Nick Woltemade to come to terms with. Now, he has the chance to perform in Jürgen Klopp’s squad with the German national team. There, he can show exactly what kind of striker he can be. But at the moment, there’s no idea of trying to try and bring the 24-year-old to Bayern Munich. Of course, it goes without saying that if Woltemade does well for the national team, there’s always an option for Bayern. That’s because the club is always on the lookout for opportunities to fill the squad with quality German nationals – as many as they can get.

Real Madrid have Lennart Karl on their mind?

(Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

✅ It is TRUE: A player like Lennart Karl is a name on the table of every top club at the moment. It was a pity that he was injured before the World Cup; otherwise, we’d be talking in a different range about the German international! Now, he is back available as a rotational option in Vincent Kompany’s squad, scoring against Elversberg in the Bundesliga. He’s shown he is, yet again, a player Bayern can count on. And that’s saying something, because it’s not easy to break into this Bayern team, with top players like Michael Olise playing in the same position. Everyone is keeping a close eye on what Karl is doing next. His contract is not incredibly long (expiring in 2029), so Bayern Munich have to make some decisions about a new contract for him. This is why other clubs, like Real Madrid, have an eye on him, and may be trying to work out whether he’s going to sign a new contract or if there’s an opening to talk with the 18-year-old. There is nothing concretely hot at the moment. However, it will be the next topic when Bayern are speaking. How high the offer is, we’ll have to see. And, of course, Lennart Karl is free to explore options with other clubs. They know what they’d get if they sign such a big young talent.

Enquiries for Florian Wirtz in January

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich would go in for a player like Florian Wirtz in January. He’s too expensive! At Liverpool, he may not yet be performing like he was with Bayer Leverkusen, but I think he’s improving. It takes time with a new team. I also haven’t heard anything from the Liverpool side indicating that they’d be prepared to sell him this winter. Of course, that doesn’t stop there being a lot of rumours around his situation regardless. As far as Bayern Munich are concerned, as I’ve already mentioned, there’s nothing concrete. We have to look at the situation of Michael Olise – is he signing a new contract next summer? If not and he has to be sold, then Wirtz would be one of the first options Bayern Munich would look into. However, there are no talks, no deals, and I remain convinced that Florian Wirtz will have a good season for Liverpool.

Could Liverpool come in for Christoph Freund?

(Photo by Oliver Hardt/Getty Images)

We haven’t yet heard specifically about reported Liverpool interest in Christoph Freund. However, I will note it was interesting that the Bayern sporting director appeared to hesitate a few weeks ago over signing a new contract. So, perhaps there was something in the air! However, equally, we have to acknowledge that Freund had a big opportunity to go to one of Liverpool’s Premier League rivals, Chelsea, in the past – and he didn’t. This is because he’s a family guy who currently lives at home with his family in Salzburg. It’s about an hour and a half or two to the club (depending on traffic) from his family home. This is something to consider regarding interest from abroad, as it would be difficult for Christoph Freund to move quite a way away from home. He’s feeling quite confident at Bayern also. There were just a few questions about how he can work in his role alongside the director of sport, Max Eberl. But he’s doing a lot of good work over at the Campus. There were many talks about such things internally, but I think it wasn’t a big option for the future.

Min-jae Kim and alleged Aston Villa interest

I can say it’s still true that Bayern Munich will be the first club he opens any kind of talks with. But it will depend on a number of things, like what Bayern are offering this Autumn when they open talks over his future? Will they say Min-jae Kim can sign a new contract? Or is he still one of the players the club would consider selling to bring in some money? This is why other clubs have Kim in their focus. Aston Villa is interested, and I heard both Tottenham and AC Milan are also looking at the South Korean international. In fact the three clubs in question already made contact in the summer for Kim, but in the end there was no offer. So, nothing concrete at the moment. I wouldn’t expect a January move or anything. Everything will depend on what Bayern Munich will tell Kim in contract talks this year.

Bayern are considering a move for Tomás Araújo

(Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

✅ It is TRUE: Bayern Munich know Tomás Araújo very well. He’s been on the shortlist at FC Bayern for a very long time and would be one of the players to keep an eye on if they look to get someone new in. At the moment, Min-jae Kim is doing very well as a rotational option alongside Jonathan Tah and Dayot Upamecano. So, he’s performing the best he ever has as a Bayern Munich player. Of course, this simultaneously means he’s one of the players Bayern can earn money from. This is why Araújo could be one of the players they look to buy if Kim is sold. But as I mentioned, at the moment, the first question to answer is whether or not Min-jae Kim has a future. If not, Bayern Munich will look at their list.

Bayern and Chelsea interested in Adama Jeng?

No updates yet on Bayern interest in this Gambian (15) talent. The club is, of course, scouting the African market, but I’m not sure yet how concrete this could be. However, I can indeed confirm that Chelsea are looking at the teenager. Perhaps more so than Bayern Munich are. But I don’t think it will be a hot subject this week.