City’s pursuit of Eichhorn is real (Sport Bild’s Christian Falk)
Bayern Munich is reportedly extremely high on Hertha Berlin midfielder Kennet Eichhorn as part of its plan for the summer transfer window.
Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund, and RB Leipzig were considered to be the frontrunners with Bayern Munich for Eichhorn. However, Manchester City thrust itself into the mix last week too.
As part of this plan, Manchester City would acquire Eichhorn and send him directly to Bayer Leverkusen on loan. Per Sport Bild journalist Christian Falk,
Manchester City’s interest is legit:
✅ It is TRUE: Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have the idea to sign Kennet Eichhorn and then loan him back to Bayer Leverkusen. That’s an idea and there’s a good reason for this. Eichhorn is not allowed to play for Man City, as he’s still 16 years old. So, they have to find a way of saving him for the future, and this method would allow them to do so. Activate his roughly €12m [£10.3m] release clause at Hertha BSC and let him play in the Bundesliga. Normally, I don’t like accusations of the Bundesliga being a “farmer’s league”, but in this case, it could be true! They’d let Eichhorn play until he’s 18 years of age, then he’d be allowed to play in the Premier League for Man City – if he’s good enough! Now, if they want to buy him, they have to guarantee him playing time at another club. Leverkusen would be fine with this! Borussia Dortmund are thinking of buying the player themselves, as he has long-term value. And Bayern also remain interested in the teenager.
Eichhorn is still young enough that his cost is not incredibly high. If Bayern Munich wants him, it should have the means to get the deal done. The bigger question is if Bayern Munich has a plan on playing time and opportunity that will be enough to satisfy the youngster.
BVB to make a move for Woltemade? (TEAMtalk)
In what would be a crazy turn of events, Borussia Dortmund might be trying to get Nick Woltemade from Newcastle United:
Newcastle United forward Nick Woltemade is actively exploring a return to mainland Europe this summer after growing increasingly frustrated with life on Tyneside, and TEAMtalk understands the Magpies could reluctantly sanction a loan move.
Sources state Woltemade has cut an unhappy figure behind the scenes after starting just once across Newcastle’s last four matches, with concerns growing over both his role and long-term fit within the squad.
The player is now understood to be seriously considering his options ahead of the summer window, with a return to European football outside England emerging as a strong possibility.
TEAMtalk understands Borussia Dortmund are among the clubs showing the strongest interest in the German forward as they assess attacking reinforcements ahead of next season. But Dortmund are far from alone. Former club Stuttgart are also closely monitoring the situation and would welcome the opportunity to bring Woltemade back to the Bundesliga, particularly with Champions League football awaiting them next season. Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen are likewise keeping close tabs on developments surrounding the player’s future.
The interest is not limited to Germany, either. TEAMtalk can confirm Atletico Madrid are among the clubs aware of Woltemade’s situation and have discussed his profile internally as they evaluate potential attacking additions this summer.
If VfB Stuttgart would have opted to sell Woltemade to Bayern Munich, the Germany international’s career trajectory might look a lot different. Instead, Stuttgart’s refusal to sell him to Bayern Munich ruined the relationship between the player and the club, and led to a financially advantageous sale to Newcastle, but one that was always a little suspect for Woltemade’s future.
Now, the attacker would probably love if BVB threw him a lifeline.
We have an official MLS Player of the Daily Schmankerl (MLS — YouTube)
If you are looking for an MLS player to support, we have your guy. Check out the dual celebration from FC Dallas attacker Sam Sarver:
The scuba celebration was good enough, but crushing the beer was just….(chef’s kiss).
Mourinho wants Rodri for Real (ESPN)
José Mourinho might be already making his mark at Real Madrid (without officially having the job yet):
José Mourinho is pushing for Real Madrid to make Manchester City midfielder Rodri the first signing of his upcoming second era as head coach at the club, says Football Insider. The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner is about to enter his final year under contract at the Etihad Stadium, which has brought up doubts over his future. Recent reports have claimed that City are ramping up their attempts to keep the 29-year-old with a longer contract, but it remains to be seen if the player wants to extend his stay or move elsewhere for a fee of around €60 million.
Gunners eyeing Barcola (Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg)
It seems as if some clubs view Bradley Barcola’s status on the PSG squad as something he would like to change via a transfer. Maybe that’s true, maybe not, but Arsenal reportedly wants to find out:
🚨🆕 Arsenal are closely monitoring Bradley #Barcola and have gathered all the relevant information.
Arsenal – like FC Bayern, Barcelona, Liverpool and others – are looking for a new top player/talent for the left wing.
A Barcola move in the summer is possible. Like Anthony Gordon, Barcola is also being monitored by Barcelona and Liverpool. 🇫🇷
Spurs to give Vušković big contract (Sport Bild’s Christian Falk)
Tottenham Hotspur is probably about to hand Luka Vušković a new contract:
Tottenham have held some talks about Luka Vušković in the last few days, and it seems that he wants to stay at Tottenham (and they want him back). However, it’s not just a matter of playing time. The Croatian’s management will talk with the club about a new contract. He made a big, big step in his playing career with this loan spell at Hamburg. Many top clubs now have him firmly on their radar. So, it will be interesting to see if Tottenham reward the centre-back with a contract that reflects his development, or (if the offer isn’t good enough and there aren’t enough minutes on the table) if he’s forced to go search for another club.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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