The Bayern Insider: Vinicius Jr linked as Real Madrid ‘accept defeat’ in Michael Olise chase | OneFootball

Welcome to today’s exclusive & comprehensive round-up of all things Bayern Munich from Bayern insider Christian Falk. Featuring updates on Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Erling Haaland, and Vinicius Jr.

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So England have joined Germany in exiting the World Cup. And, sadly, it’s not the first time we’ve seen Thomas Tuchel make this tactical mistake on one of football’s biggest stages. In the Champions League semi-final in 2024, when FC Bayern were playing Real Madrid, the Bundesliga giants were leading in the match in the second leg at 1-0 in Madrid. Lo and behold, he then decided to take offensive players off the pitch. I remember it was Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sane, and Harry Kane (Serge Gnabry was injured; otherwise, he would probably also have left the pitch). It was just like England’s match against Argentina. Bayern were leading and just kept retreating and retreating into their own half and refused to play football. It’s a strange sacrifice to make, because if you refuse to play, you’re just encouraging attacks from all sides. Like England, it went to 1-1 and then 2-1 in extra time – and then Bayern went out!

I watched Tuchel’s post-match interviews, and he was not in the mood to say, Okay, perhaps I made a mistake. You can’t help but wonder why they had so many defenders on the pitch at one time. I was just thinking, How on earth can they survive this match? It was the same when I was sitting at the Bernabeu when Bayern were playing, and I didn’t know how Bayern would manage to win the game playing an extra 30 minutes without Harry Kane, without Musiala, without Sane. 

He’s effectively given his players the sign that England aren’t strong enough to play their own game and win their own way. It’s hard for a team. This time, Tuchel left Kane on the pitch – so he learned a little bit from the Champions League! But it was the wrong sign from the manager, and England gave away a huge chance to go to the World Cup final. There can be no excuse really when you’ve got that much talent on the bench – and this was the big difference between the Bayern match in 2024 (when Bayern didn’t have so many elite players on the bench to influence the game) and the England game on Wednesday night.

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Harry Kane will return to Munich sooner than expected

Bayern Munich will give Harry Kane some holiday time after England’s World Cup exit. Of course, now there will be extra time to take advantage of to start contract talks, and I hope this will happen soon, as we really want to keep Harry in the Bundesliga.

What I’ve heard about the striker’s contract situation comes directly from the club, as Harry blocked any questions about his contract while he was concentrating fully on the Three Lions’ World Cup campaign. It was his last chance, I think, and I believe he was thinking the same thing, because when I looked at his face after the defeat to Argentina, when he was looking up at the fans in the stands, he seemed to be thinking, This could be the last time I’m here at the World Cup with a chance to actually win it. Now, he can focus on Bayern Munich again. Perhaps this showed him what he has at Bayern Munich. He will win titles in Bavaria, but of course he wants to win the Champions League – that’s the next big title he can win. And, crucially, it’s one he’s yet to win! Kane knows he has a big chance to win it if he stays with Bayern.

As for reported interest from Real Madrid and Tottenham… Los Blancos have to make a new plan, which could take a year, perhaps even two. Perhaps they’ll be good enough next year under new manager José Mourinho, but they don’t know. At Bayern Munich, Harry Kane knows there’s a chance. Sorry, Tottenham. Harry wants to win the Champions League now. He can’t wait for Spurs to build towards something. He wants the big title.

Have Real Madrid abandoned their pursuit of Michael Olise in favour of Erling Haaland?

I think Real Madrid have the same chance of signing Michael Olise as they do Erling Haaland this summer! I’m happy that they see there’s no chance of signing the Frenchman this summer, and if they move away, they’re more than welcome to try things with Haaland. Though I expect the answer to be the same. This summer: no chance. Next summer, I think it will be very interesting to see what will happen with Olise, whether he signs a new contract or not. If he doesn’t, Bayern have to do something. Perhaps they have to sell him. But for this summer, Michael Olise will stay at Bayern Munich. Perhaps it’s to his advantage, as this season he was in really, really good shape, but at the World Cup he only had an okay tournament. Perhaps things are calming down somewhat, as he could have proved his elite status in football in the semi-final against Spain, but he didn’t show it. Perhaps the winger knows now that he still has more to learn before he hits the absolute peak of his powers. Evidently, the rumours have quietened down, and it’s easier for FC Bayern to keep Olise if he’s not a world champion.

Vinicius Jr is allegedly back on Bayern’s radar

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich have Vinicius Jr on their list this summer in case the Brazilian is angling for an exit from Real Madrid. Yes, of course, a player like the 26-year-old would look really good in the Bayern Munich squad, but there’s no chance! Bayern won’t pay the salary, and they already have a complete offence between Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Luis Diaz, Jamal Musiala, and, now, Ismael Saibari. Diaz certainly had a very good World Cup. So, respectfully, there’s no place for a player like Vini Jr. I also have to say that Bayern Munich have always been a little cautious about players who could negatively impact the dressing room atmosphere. This was the same with Cristiano Ronaldo, as it’s not just the massive wages you have to worry about but also the impact on squad culture. Bayern are a team that suits Harry Kane, for instance, as the Englishman is a team player to his very core, and this is the focus for Bayern Munich.

Jules Koundé wants to stay put at Barcelona

✅ It is TRUE: Jules Koundé wants to stay at Barcelona beyond the summer transfer window. As I mentioned previously, Bayern Munich like the player but they won’t go for him at the moment because they don’t have space for him. For starters, the Frenchman will cost some money, and if he were on the market, FC Bayern would be one of the teams that would, of course, throw their hat into the ring. He’s on a list – it’s a long list – but Bayern have to sell players first. Sacha Boey is one such player in need of offloading. If Hansi Flick were game for a swap deal for Boey and Koundé, of course Bayern Munich would be at the table. But that’s incredibly unlikely!

Would there be some flexibility for a cheap option like Givairo Read?

Max Eberl is still facing the same problem: he has to sell first before heading back into the market for further incomings. Otherwise, as we already know, Givairo Read would be an extremely interesting option for Bayern Munich. So, Bayern have to now decide if they’ll stick to this rule, as before the player would have been more expensive. The asking price that has been reported (€25m [£21.2m]) isn’t a massive one, but if Bayern come to the table, the price is always bound to increase, so you don’t know if it would remain the same. Otherwise, it’s the same situation which impacted Bayern’s pursuit of Nathan De Cat, as there was simply no space for the player. Even when Leon Goretzka was leaving, Bayern Munich had so many players for the position, so they didn’t want to spend money on someone when they couldn’t offer them a position. It’s the same for Read. If Bayern can’t sell a player at right-back, it’ll have a clear impact.

It’s interesting how the club is planning here, as Konrad Laimer will sign a new contract after the World Cup, so he’s there. There’s also Josip Stanišić, who played a good World Cup, and Boey on the salary list. Don’t forget that Bayern are also keeping an eye on the centre-back market, which explains the fresh links to Chrislain Matsima at FC Augsburg. I know Lothar Matthäus is a big fan of the player; he always talks about him with a lot of respect. This is more important now for Bayern Munich, so I’m not sure if they’d go for Givairo Read, even if the situation is very interesting.

Bayern’s reported interest in Matouš Srb & Xavier Parker

These reported targets of FC Bayern – both 16 years of age – would very much fit within the club’s modern transfer philosophy. Certainly, with the way in which sporting director Christoph Freund likes to run recruitment. He did the same at RB Salzburg when he worked there as a boss. Lennart Karl, of course, is the big, shining example at Bayern when it comes to recruiting young talents and developing them at Säbener Straße. There are multiple ways of going about this. If we do this, you can see how it works for the future; you can give them a chance to play, loan them out or even earn money from them. This is part of the modern philosophy. It’s not just about finding the next big talent, but also about raising funds from young players.

We’ve seen it already in the current transfer window, which is proving very difficult for Max Eberl, where it’s the young players (Jonah Kusi-Asare and, perhaps soon, Noël Aséko) he could manage to sell. Not the older stars on big salaries. When you see a few million euros here and a few million euros there, it all adds up! If you sell a bunch of these talents, you suddenly have enough money to buy a Givairo Read, for instance. I think it’s a really interesting approach. Whether it works out with Srb and Parker, we’ll have to see, because you also have to persuade them to go to Bayern Munich when the squad is already stacked with talent. But still, you always have the example of Lennart Karl, who made it. So, perhaps they could make it too.

Could João Palhinha be an option for Aston Villa?

My colleague, Fabrizio Romano, reported that João Palhinha is being discussed as a potential target for Aston Villa. As we know, for Sporting Lisbon, it would be nice for both player and club to arrange a deal, but not so much for Bayern Munich due to the offer on the table. A loan deal with a buy option is not viable for Bayern. They’ve already been stung once with this arrangement with Tottenham. It’s always nice for the team that gets the player for a year, but to trigger the buy option is always a little bit more difficult. They want a transfer now to get the money – ideally, €30m [£25.4m]. And he is a €30m player! He’s not a footballer who needs to be educated. If you sign Palhinha, you’re getting a complete player. You have to, of course, check that he fits your system. He’s unfortunately not suited to Vincent Kompany’s system, but he would work just fine for other clubs. Aston Villa, I think, could do with a player like the Portugal international. I won’t say the money Bayern are looking for is peanuts for Villa, but it’s not big money.

Bayern Munich’s transfer committee

Bayern have wanted to implement a transfer committee under the supervisory board ever since Max Eberl joined the club. Now they have it. The supervisory board do see that Eberl is keeping them in the loop more, and there’s a serious commitment to transparency. Max Eberl himself has, I think, recognised that it’s easier to make a transfer if he keeps his fellow Bayern chiefs, in this case Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeneß, in the talks before he decides to go for something. He has a very big advantage now. They really trust in Vincent Kompany, which means if the Belgian head coach wants a player – like he did with Nathaniel Brown and Saibari – that can help push transfers through. This was the case with Kompany, who called both players quite early on. Ultimately, it makes it easier for Max Eberl to make the transfers happen. Eberl has been transparent about the costs of both deals, but if you have the supervisory board on your side, you can get the deals done. Perhaps it will be easier now for Max Eberl to get a new contract for the future.