The Bayern Insider: Gerrard is right about Michael Olise as Vinicius Jr transfer hope crushed | OneFootball

Welcome to today’s exclusive & comprehensive round-up of all things Bayern Munich from Bayern insider Christian Falk. Featuring updates on Michael Olise, Vinicius Jr, Mo Salah and Manuel Neuer.

Today’s top stories

It was a fantastic match. We’ll talk about Manuel Neuer, of course. He’s the Galactico alone! You don’t need a team to be that! It was really impressive. Real Madrid were a little afraid of Bayern Munich. I have to go back a long time, 25 years, to be precise, during which Bayern just couldn’t win in normal time. And now, they’ve done it!

The lunch between the bosses (Florentino Perez, Jan-Christian Dreesen and Herbert Hainer) was also a very exciting thing. They went to Restaurant Zalacain- a very expensive one, of course! It was at the invitation of Perez. I wondered whether Perez, Dreesen and Herbert Hainer (FC Bayern president) were discussing the interest in Michael Olise, and whether the Real Madrid chief would have asked if there was any price Bayern would be prepared to accept for the Frenchman. I can tell you: not one word on the subject! Perhaps Perez has a secret plan that he doesn’t want to share with his Bayern counterparts just yet. But in the meantime, he didn’t even try to bring this topic to the table.

Michael Olise remains unlikely to leave Bayern Munich

He played even better than Vinicius Jr in Bayern Munich’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid. He played even better than Kylian Mbappe! It’s fair to say Michael Olise was the best winger on display in this Champions League clash, and he’s probably the best winger in Europe right now. If you’re Bayern Munich, would you sell him? No, there’s no way you’d do that. We talked to Max Eberl, and he said no; we talked to the CEO, Jan-Christian Dreesen, and he also said no. Also, Uli Hoeneß, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and the supervisory board said there’s no chance to sell this player.

Olise is currently on a contract until 2029, and without a release clause. So, Bayern won’t let him go for any price at the moment. You don’t know what might happen in the future, especially if he has a big dream of playing in the famous white shirt. I’m sure Real Madrid will try it. But, as I mentioned, there’s no chance of an exit this summer.

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The Manuel Neuer contract question

This is the big question now in Munich. I talked to Manuel after the match and there were two topics. One was whether or not he’d play for the German national team again in the summer – this was no topic for the goalkeeper. On the other topic, there was some hope that he might play one more year for FC Bayern. He said that it’s not a topic at the moment, but he’s open to a conversation. Max Eberl, who was also there, mentioned that Neuer had told the bosses to let him play, get through the current matches, and then have a talk later.

So, you see, he wants to first work out in his own body whether he feels 40 years of age, and whether he might be prepared for another season. But you saw how Manuel Neuer played this match against Real Madrid – he was the player of the match! The shotstopper was also named UEFA’s player of the week. He was brilliant and more than proved he’s better than most goalkeepers who are younger than him. I talked with Lothar Matthäus, who was in the stadium, and he described Neuer as one of the top five goalkeepers in Europe and, perhaps, on this day, he was the best.

I hope he’ll do another year with Bayern Munich. The club already has a successor in place in Jonas Urbig. The 22-year-old isn’t putting any pressure on the club; he wants to learn from Neuer. So, let’s stay positive!

Could Gregor Kobel sign for Bayern Munich?

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich are looking at Gregor Kobel in case Manuel Neuer leaves this summer. Bayern Munich had an interest in him three years ago, but then there was a question around the No.1 spot if Neuer were to leave the club. However, as you can see, Manuel Neuer is still here, and they’re not searching for a ‘keeper like Kobel who would be a No.1. They already have a No.1, and that’s Jonas Urbig. They’re now searching for a player behind the 22-year-old; a goalkeeper with experience. There is a secret list, and Kobel is not on it.

Which goalkeepers are on Bayern Munich’s list?

✅ It is TRUE: Daniel Heuer Fernandes and Marvin Schwäbe are on the list at Bayern. We’ve also mentioned Oliver Baumann in the past, the German No.1 – he’s also on the list. Fernandes, of Hamburg, is a No.1. We heard there was contact with the player and Bayern asked whether he could imagine being at FC Bayern (albeit not in goal). This is an open question, but there is interest from both sides. So, he could be the No.2 behind Urbig. The other one, Schwäbe, was discussed at the club, but this could be a problem.

He’s playing for FC Köln, and, if you remember, this is the same club Jonas Urbig came from. Urbig started as the No.1 in the season but then at the end Marvin Schwäbe was in the goal and Urbig was on the bench. So it could be something of a problem to have both of these players in the same team. Jonas Urbig could have the feeling that there’s not a man behind him providing cover, but rather one who is a direct challenger. So, I don’t think Bayern will go for this.

Have Bayern contacted Josh Acheampong’s team?

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Josh Acheampong is a hot target for Bayern Munich right now. He’s on the radar at Bayern, as they’re always open to signing a defender should Kim Min-jae leave the club. However, from inside the club, Kim would have to go to the bosses and ask to leave, at which point they would sell him. If not, the South Korean international will stay. He can, of course, stay – he’s a very good backup. I know that he’s feeling fine with his ranking in the squad. He knows he’s not in the starting-XI and that’s okay with Kim for the moment. The centre-half does want to feel important again, like he was in Serie A. However, Bayern Munich aren’t pushing to leave, and they won’t buy a new central defender unless he wants to leave.

Castello Lukeba presents an option

✅ It is TRUE: Castello Lukeba is on the radar at Bayern Munich. There’s a connection with Max Eberl, who previously worked at RB Leipzig. He knows the player, as does Christoph Freund (who worked for Red Bull as well). However, he is expensive. You would make this deal in the event you had to replace Jonathan Tah or Dayot Upamecano, but at the moment, they have these two defenders, and he wouldn’t want to be a backup option. So, at the moment, this deal isn’t hot.

Disappointment at missing out on Jérémy Jacquet

We’ve spoken a lot about Jérémy Jacquet in this column! Yes, Bayern Munich were concretely interested, as we reported, and now Max Eberl also confirmed it, saying that the Frenchman was the backup he had in mind if Dayot Upamecano had not signed a contract extension. However, in the end, he saw that the price was climbing, and there was a point when Bayern were off the table anyway, as the final deal with Liverpool reached around €63.5m [£55.2m] – and this would have been too expensive for Bayern Munich. So they wouldn’t have joined the race anyway. At the beginning, there’s no question that they were interested, but Liverpool ran the race.

Phil Foden to make shock Premier League exit?

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich are looking at Phil Foden ahead of the summer. He’s a very interesting name, of course! But, Bayern Munich aren’t looking for a player like him; a player who’s expensive and who’d want to play every game. Bayern are searching for a backup for the left wing position behind Luis Diaz. But, you know, they have Diaz, Michael Olise, Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala, and a young Lennart Karl who needs playing time to protect his development. Respectfully, where would Phil Foden play in this team? I think it wouldn’t be a good deal for both sides.

Man City enter the race for Kennet Eichhorn

✅ It is TRUE: Manchester City have entered the race for Kennet Eichhorn. This information came from Fabrizio Romano and I can confirm it; Manchester City are concretely interested. There has been some contact in Germany where they’ve made it clear they want to talk about this player. As we’ve previously reported, Manchester United and Arsenal are also interested in Eichhorn. So, you see, he’s a very big talent. The midfielder is just 16 years old and playing in the Bundesliga 2. But Bayern Munich also want this player. Normally, they would be happy to see him stay and improve at Hertha Berlin. However, they also know that if a Premier League club succeeds in bringing him to England, it can be really hard to bring these talents back to Germany.

Normally, they wouldn’t do anything in this position, as they have players like Noël Aséko (20), who they’re bringing back from his loan spell at Hannover. Frankfurt are interested in Eichhorn also, but Bayern Munich would give him the chance this summer and see how it works. In the end, FC Bayern would rather move for the player now as opposed to losing him to the Premier League.

Bayern are admirers of Christian Kofane

✅ It is TRUE: There is interest in Christian Kofane and he’s on the list. Christoph Freund, the sporting director, was asked about this topic and he didn’t deny it. That said, Bayern aren’t searching intensely in this particular position. There are still rumours about Fisnik Asllani of Hoffenheim, who’s also on this list. In the end, Bayern want a left-winger, they want to buy a right-back, and in the end, if there’s money left (although Bayern would then have to sell players to get some money in), then there would be a chance for such players. Of course, if Arsenal’s at the table, it’s getting hard!

Manchester United sniffing around Harry Kane?

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Harry Kane could return to England this summer. The England international is feeling really happy in Munich. On the private side, as I heard, his wife and children love the town. They’re a bit anonymous, in the sense that they can go through the town without everyone saying, “Hey! They’re the Kanes!” It’s a bit quieter in Munich. Also, it sounds a bit crazy, but everyone in Munich feels like they’ve got the best team in Europe at the moment – so why should anyone want to leave? Kane wants to win huge titles like the Champions League. At the moment, there’s no thought of leaving the country. He wants to win everything with this club. If they end up winning the Champions League this term, then perhaps we can have another discussion about Kane’s future. Otherwise, Harry Kane has his targets with the team.

Bayern have set money aside for two positions

✅ It is TRUE: The largest portion of the €80m (£69.6m) Bayern have set aside for the left wing and right-back positions will go to the former. At the beginning, there was the idea of Yan Diomande (RB Leipzig), but they now know he’ll be too expensive. Leipzig said €100m [£87m], so there’s no chance for FC Bayern. Then, you see how much money other wingers could be, so you have to sell players as well to spend this money. They hope to get some money from Tottenham for Palhinha. There are other players they also want to sell, like Bryan Zaragoza. So, they had to do some selling on the market. Then, if they get the money they want, perhaps they can spend €40m-50m on a left winger, which would be a lot of money for a backup. €30m, perhaps, would be the most they’d want to spend on a right-back. That’s the price for Givairo Read, for example. It’s looking like a hard market for Bayern, but it will be easier if they sell first.

Could Bayern imagine signing Vinicius Jr?

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern want to try and sign Vinicius Jr. He’s a very special guy and brilliant on the pitch, but he’s not a Bayern Munich player. He brings something with him, his image, which doesn’t fit with Munich. They also wouldn’t want to spend so much money on his salary. So, I think it’s a bit too difficult of a poker game for FC Bayern. He was offered to the Premier League and some clubs there. There were rumours about Arsenal, Man City and other clubs. Now, perhaps, they’re trying to do that with Bayern Munich – but no way! He won’t play for Bayern Munich. Also, in the past, there were many similar examples, but ultimately Bayern doesn’t want a big celebrity image, as it can destroy a team!

Mo Salah won’t trade Liverpool for Bayern Munich

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich are prepared to sign Mo Salah on a free transfer this summer. Max Eberl already made it clear that the Egyptian isn’t a topic at FC Bayern. There is no offer for Salah – it’s simply not true. There are some interesting constellations, as everyone knows Salah is heading off this summer, and one possible successor that has been mooted for Liverpool is Bazoumana Touré. He’s also on the list of Bayern Munich. Perhaps they’ll enter talks for this player. And if both clubs are in for the Hoffenheim star, things could get very interesting! But they won’t enter talks with Salah.