The Bayern Insider: Nick Woltemade could open door for summer transfer amid Harry Kane & Saudi fear | OneFootball

Welcome to today’s exclusive & comprehensive round-up of all things Bayern Munich from Bayern insider Christian Falk. Featuring updates on Nick Woltemade, Yan Diomande, Lennart Karl and Harry Kane.

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I had a bet before the match with RB Leipzig that Harry Kane would open the scoring with a penalty and Luis Diaz would supply the second goal. And so it was! Bayern Munich aren’t a riddle at the moment, but it’s the way they win matches. Kane has been incredibly in-form, and now everyone is dreaming of the treble. I spoke with the Englishman after the match, and he’s so focused on this particular target.

Of course, it’s very much in Bayern’s DNA to want to win every trophy on offer. Harry is especially keen to progress to the final of the DFB Pokal. It’s in Berlin, it’s like our Wembley, and he’s never been there before for the Pokal final. Bayern haven’t reached the final since the 2019/20 season, which is a bit of a barren run for a club that previously would be a frequent attendee (and winner!) at the final. So, they’re working hard on this target, and now they’re in the semi-final!

Alexander Nübel

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern and Stuttgart are in fresh talks over a deal for Alexander Nübel for the 2026/27 campaign. There aren’t any talks at the moment because VfB Stuttgart can’t afford the goalkeeper. We talked previously about his salary (€10m [£8.7m] a year), which is a lot of money! I spoke with Lothar Matthäus, Germany’s world champion from 1990, this weekend, and he said that if you see Nübel’s salary – and consider the fact he’s not the No.1 goalkeeper for FC Bayern – they spent €30m-40m [£26.1m-34.8m] over the years on his salary without utilising him on a consistent basis.

Matthäus urged Bayern to sell him, and it’s just the Premier League that could be interesting for the 29-year-old, as they have to get this money back into the club coffers. They hope they’ll get an offer from the Premier League. That’s possible. In the past, Brighton held some interest in Alexander Nübel. Bayern are trying to find a club for him.

Manuel Neuer

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❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern have offered Manuel Neuer a contract extension until 2027. They will talk – negotiations are scheduled for around March/April, when the national team is playing. His birthday is on March 27, when he’ll turn 40. I was talking with Manuel at the time of Bayern’s cup clash with Leipzig, and it was very interesting, as the president of Bayern, Herbert Hainer, said he’d love Neuer to be at the World Cup with Germany because he believes he’s still the nation’s best goalkeeper. I asked Manuel about this, and he offered a very firm “no” on the prospect of returning to the German national team.

Perhaps he might change his mind if Julian Nagelsmann directly asks him. But he’s now said “no” and he apparently won’t change his mind. At this point, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Why now?” Perhaps he’s thinking of retiring in the summer – we’re not sure on that point. Maybe he just wants a break from football in the summer ahead of the next club campaign. But at the moment, I have a small but growing feeling that he could quit come the summer.

Konrad Laimer

✅ It is TRUE: There are no negotiations between Konrad Laimer and Bayern Munich. The player came to the club as a free agent. His contract is set to expire in 2027, and Bayern are at the point where they’ve made their first offer. But when Laimer saw this, he felt it didn’t meet expectations in terms of his current stature in the squad. In his mind, he’s always playing (which is correct), yet his teammates around him are generally earning a lot more money. He’s on about €8m-9m [£6.9m-7.8m], but the expectation is that Laimer should be earning in the range of players under the top stars at the club (which is €12m-15m [£10.4m-13m]). But this isn’t the range FC Bayern offered him, so he’s now a little disappointed.

This is why his agent has pressed pause on talks and is allowing his contract to run down in the meantime. After all, time is on their side! I’m looking forward to the next round of negotiations. He’s a really important player for Bayern Munich. That couldn’t have been clearer than in recent weeks when he was out of the first-XI thanks to an injury. Without Laimer in the defence, they weren’t so strong.

Luka Vušković

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✅ It is TRUE: Bayern Munich believe Luka Vušković now falls outside of their price range. The club is at the end of negotiations with Dayot Upamecano – all that’s left now is to sign the actual contract, which everyone believes will take place this week. After that point, Bayern won’t be able to afford a player like Vušković. Tottenham will have an idea of what the centre-back will cost. But the main point is that if you have a player like Jonathan Tah and Upamecano, Vušković won’t have regular playing time, which is incredibly important for such a young player (18). I think he knows that. So, he’s not a topic at the moment. On the other hand, he’s an interesting player for the future – but not at the moment!

Leon Goretzka

✅ It is TRUE: Arsenal are considering bringing Leon Goretzka to London this coming summer. Remember, there was an offer from Atletico Madrid; there were negotiations in the January window. Goretzka said no. I heard he wants to move to the Premier League next season. Arsenal knocked on the door late in the winter window, but Goretzka had already made his decision to stay put for the remainder of the season. However, at this point, there were preliminary talks to say, “perhaps we’ll talk again in the summer”.

Leon Goretzka is definitely interested, and Arsenal are also still interested. We have to wait and see if things naturally develop again, because there will be other clubs at the table. We mentioned Tottenham, and we talked about clubs from Serie A. I think London and Arsenal would be a really special city and club for Goretzka.

Kennet Eichhorn

(Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images for DFB)

✅ It is TRUE: Eintracht Frankfurt are very interested in Kennet Eichhorn. But it’s also true that Bayern Munich are still in the race. Many big six clubs from the Premier League are also interested in the 16-year-old midfielder. He’s playing very well for Hertha. Everyone is saying he’s such a talented starlet, and it’s only natural that clubs want to sign him now before he finds his place at another big club. Remember Lennart Karl (17)? Many clubs would love to have him in their squads now, but there’s no chance because he has a long-term contract at Bayern Munich. If you’re 16, you don’t have a long-term contract with anyone, as you can’t sign one. Whoever manages to snap up Eichhorn will have to make sure they get him on a long, long contract once he turns 18.

Frankfurt is one interested party, and Bayern Munich are also very interested, as are Borussia Dortmund. To be honest, every German club would love to sign him, but if these three Bundesliga clubs are at the table, it’s then getting harder for the rest! There’s still a chance for the Premier League to snatch this player, but if you’re young and German, you might be well-advised to stay put and continue your development in Germany. It’s also worth noting that Eichhorn shares the same agent as Jamal Musiala, and he’s also still in the Bundesliga. Some fans call the Bundesliga a “farmer’s league”. Perhaps there’s some truth here, in that the German top-flight is pretty good at farming local German talent.

Kees Smit

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern are keeping a very close eye on Kees Smit ahead of the summer. They have players in this position already. Don’t forget Aleksandar Pavlović, Tom Bischof, Joshua Kimmich, and Konrad Laimer. So, no, it’s not hot for Bayern Munich. Smit is a player Arsenal is also interested in, so for Goretzka, this could be a potential rival for his position next summer. From what I understand, Arsenal and the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid are closer to signing this player than Bayern Munich.

Nick Woltemade

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✅ It is TRUE: Bayern retain their admiration of Nick Woltemade. Just like any club, when you have a clear admiration for a player, it’s normal to wonder about the future. That’s the point with Woltemade and Bayern Munich. Both sides know that perhaps they’ll meet again in the future. This summer is too early. Bayern Munich won’t pay the transfer fee. I heard Newcastle, perhaps, would lower their price tag. Indeed, they’re not so happy at the moment; Woltemade isn’t playing a great deal. The manager, Eddie Howe, isn’t giving him many chances to play at the moment.

That said, he had a very good start to life at Newcastle, so things can change quickly if he’s getting the play time and scoring. At the moment, however, a deal isn’t guaranteed. But the door could open this summer, and Woltemade, if things don’t change, could be open for a transfer. I’m not sure if Bayern Munich will be at the table this time, but it’s always a question of price.

Yan Diomande

✅ It is TRUE: Yan Diomande is going to cost a lot of money to sign this summer. The €100m [£87.1m] asking price was established by RB Leipzig chief Oliver Mintzlaff. We saw him playing against Bayern Munich in the DFB Pokal. He’s good, he’s really good. However, he’s still got some developmental work to do, and so €100m will be too much for Bayern this summer. That said, it’s a price that Premier League clubs can of course afford to pay.

I heard that Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool are all interested and can afford him. Bayern can’t afford Diomande at this point because, as we’ve reported before at Bayern Insider, Luis Diaz is the established first-choice on the left wing. Bayern Munich don’t need a “Plan A”, they need a “Plan B”; so €100m for a Plan B behind Diaz is just too much money. At the moment – and I’m genuinely sorry, Bayern fans, as I’d love to see him in Munich – he needs time to develop. He’s clearly got a lot of potential, as was clear even in this one match. But it’s just not enough to go on to commit to such a huge fee at this point in time.

Lennart Karl

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❌ It is NOT TRUE: Real Madrid have submitted an enquiry for Lennart Karl. Every week, you have some rumours about Karl and Real Madrid. On the one hand, it’s because he trained there in the past, and on the other, he mentioned a “dream” to play there one day. There have been all kinds of rumours since, including that Real Madrid have sent a jersey to him – but this is simply not true. It’s not true that they made an offer already. What is true is that when he turns 18 this February on the 22nd, he will automatically get a new contract until the summer of 2029. Bayern won’t sell him.

Harry Kane

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Harry Kane’s release clause is valid in February, and Saudi Pro League clubs are lining up to sign him. I asked everyone again about this subject, and they said, “No, no way!” The release clause extended only to January – there’s no existing release clause at the moment. The next one will be next year in January. So, no chance that he will be sold. That’s why Saudi Arabia can only dream about this transfer. Bayern Munich ultimately want to extend Kane’s contract.

Remember, when Bayern Munich were in talks to complete the signing of the striker from Tottenham, Saudi Arabia came in and told him he could earn as much as €200m [£174.2m], and the player said, “No.” So, you see, with the greatest of respect to the Saudi Pro League, Harry Kane wants to win the biggest trophies in world football; he wants to win the Champions League. I don’t know what will happen if Bayern win the treble this season. Perhaps then he’ll think he’s achieved everything he wanted to achieve at a professional level in European football. Perhaps then it’ll be the time to take the really big payday. We can cross that bridge when we come to it, of course. In the meantime, Harry will stay in Munich.