Goretzka could be priced out of Bayern (Sport Bild’s Christian Falk and Tobi Altschäffl via @iMiaSanMia)
Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka has an affinity for the club — there is no denying it.
However, his future is a massive question mark. Popular in the locker room and admired by both the coaching
staff and executive, Goretzka would seemingly be the kind of player that Bayern Munich might like to have around for his leadership and experiences as his career enters its twilight years.
That possibility could be determined by Goretzka’s willingness to drop WAY down from his incredibly high salary:
Even though Bayern bosses appreciate his mentality and the way he fought back from the difficult situation, Leon Goretzka’s chances of getting a new contract are significantly slimmer than (Serge) Gnabry’s, mainly because of his high salary (€17-18m gross per year) and the fact the position is covered with the emergence of Pavlović and Bischof.
For Goretzka, it could come down to this — how much of a pay cut is he willing to take at a time where this could be his last “big money” deal?
Zirkzee could be on the move again (ESPN)
After an ill-advised (well, except for the effect on his bank account) move to Manchester United, former Bayern Munich prospect Joshua Zirkzee could be eyeing a move back to Serie A as soon as January:
Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee is contemplating a move to Serie A side Como in January, with Juventus also interested, according to The Sun. No agreement has been reached yet with either Italian side, but United are open to either a loan or permanent move when the window opens on Jan. 1. Zirkzee, 24, has been at United for just 14 months after joining for €42.5 million from Bologna under Erik ten Haag’s tenure, but he has found game time hard to come by under new boss Ruben Amorim, as all of his appearances this season have come from the bench. Como boss Cesc Fabregas sees the Netherlands international as the perfect profile for the Serie A side, while Juve could reignite previous interest from the summer.
Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show Season 5, Episode 10 (Bavarian Football Works)
Bayern Munich has one more weekend of action before another international break, but that does not mean there is a lack of suitable topics to discuss.
Let’s take a look at what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:
- Champions League Power Rankings — are we ready to place Bayern Munich in the top group? You know it! But…where does the squad stack up against Europe’s other top teams. Let’s discuss.
- German national team coach Julian Nagelsmann has little room for error and must find a way to break from the same bad habits that help fell him at Bayern Munich.
- Listener Q&A — questions on Harry Kane, the inner workings of Bavarian Football Works, and Noël Aséko Nkili’s future.
- Reviewing the latest episode of HBO’s Task.
Looking back: Bayern’s interest in Antony last summer (Sport Bild’s Christian Falk)
Rumors swirled that Bayern Munich had interest in Antony over the summer, but we did not know too much about the potential move…until now. Check this out:
It’s true that Bayern wanted to sign Antony on deadline day. And it was a very, very interesting deal because Bayern Munich already had him on the list from back when he was playing for Ajax. But then he decided on the Premier League. A loan spell at Real Betis, however, reminded them that he has the skills they need for their team. But it was also at the point where they talked about money. Bayern Munich offered a salary of €7m [£6.1m], which is a lot of money. But in the end, Antony felt so comfortable in Spain. He was on loan there and said, “No, I don’t want to make another step in another new league. I want to stay at this club.” So Betis made the deal.
As you can imagine, it was not a smooth exit from Manchester United after a tumultuous stay for Antony (via ESPN):
In between returning to United and re-joining Betis, Antony was forced to train away from teammates by Ruben Amorim and was not included in the squad for the club’s preseason tour.
“Look, I’m not the kind of guy who gets involved in controversies, who names people, in fact, I won’t mention anyone’s name here,” Antony told ESPN Brasil. “But I think there was a bit of a lack of respect there, even a bit of rudeness too, with no one giving you a good morning, a good afternoon. Not even that. But, anyway, that’s in the past, I won’t give much importance to these things. Now I’m here, at Betis, I’m living here, that’s the most important thing for me.”
Asked why he believed things did not go well at United, Antony said: “I am a man who accepts my responsibilities.
“I think off-field matters affected me a lot, in my performance. I know my potential, I know my qualities, I didn’t play in a World Cup for nothing, I didn’t return to the national team for nothing. I also take responsibility for it not working out, for not performing as I wanted. But I always try to see the bright side of things, going through this entire process, this time at United, was necessary to see myself.”
Musiala doesn’t sweat fan interactions (GQ via @iMiaSanMia)
Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala is not the kind of athlete who gets weirded out by fan interactions.
“I really enjoy situations like this. I remember seeing famous players as a little boy and what a special feeling that was for me. That’s why I’m always friendly, like to sign autographs, and sometimes even take a photo with the fans. That’s not always possible, though, and sometimes there are just too many people. But I try. It’s nice that so many people are happy to see me,” Musiala said with a laugh.
Bavarian Podcast Works — Special Edition Show: Germany’s roster selections for October World Cup qualifiers (Bavarian Football Works)
Former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann made his selections for the 23-man roster he will use to face Luxembourg and Northern Ireland in Germany’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Certainly, there were some surprises and some other interesting choices, so let’s talk about all of that and more. Let’s get into it, this is what we have on tap for this Special Edition of Bavarian Podcast Works:
- A look at the selections made by Julian Nagelsmann.
- A dive into each position group — who the surprises were, who was missing, can this group finally get over the 2025 stumbles and get back on track for the 2026 World Cup?
Pavlović getting interest from Real, Juve (Caught Offside’s Ekrem Konur)
All of a sudden, Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović is being linked with several of Europe’s power clubs.
We had already heard about Manchester City’s interest in the 21-year-old, but Real Madrid and Juventus are also in the mix:
🚨🆕 #RealMadrid 🇩🇪
Real Madrid are keeping an eye on Aleksandar Pavlovic as an alternative to Rodri.🔺A move from Man City looks unlikely, and Pavlovic — under contract at Bayern until 2029 — isn’t pushing to leave.
👀 Juventus and City also interested.
Flick pushes for Upamecano move (TeamTalk)
FC Barcelona boss Hansi Flick wants his club to get proactive about a pursuit of Dayot Upamecano:
But Spanish outlet Fichajes report that Barcelona are now ‘in the running’ for Upamecano too.
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has urged the club to make a move for Upamecano, who is out of contract in June just like Konate.
Barca are continuing to battle financial complications and Upamecano’s signing would see them add a top defender to their ranks without having to spend any transfer fee.
Bavarian Podcast Works — Edges and Underdogs, a BuLi Action Show: Match Day 6 (Bavarian Football Works)
Welcome to Bavarian Podcast Works — Edges and Underdogs, a BuLi Action Show!
This is not your run-of-the-mill gambling show as we are putting more focus on the ins-and-outs of the actual match day’s showdowns, rather than an odds-driven format (but yes, you will get the odds as well). This podcast is for people who watch the Bundesliga intently and who want to dive into some of the big games for each match day. Through that, we will also provide some information that could help those seeking to make a wager or two.
Each week, we will highlight three matches to talk through and break down who has the edge, who might be hurting, who is susceptible to being upset, who’s getting hot, and more! This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Edges and Underdogs, a BuLi Action Show:
- Catching up on how we did last week.
- A look at this weekend’s match-ups — including win probability, odds, injury updates, trends, AI predictions, and our predictions as well.
The bottom line…it’s time for some action.
Hamann slams younger Bellingham (Sky Germany’s Didi Hamann)
Did Hamann slammed Jobe Bellingham in his latest column for Sky Germany:
Finally, a word about BVB. It’s really impressive what Niko Kovac has brought to the team. Finally, they’re consistent. Finally, the whole team is working toward victory. I don’t think they’ll be able to keep up with Munich until the end, because Bayern can shift into high gear when necessary.
But BVB’s development is really good. Just imagine if they had even won the games in Turin and at St. Pauli. Then they would be on par with Bayern. The only cause for concern seems to be Jobe Bellingham. Young, expensive, and so far not even half as good as Jude Bellingham. It’s not getting any easier for him.
