Bayern, City vying for Acheampong (GiveMeSport’s Ben Jacobs)
Bayern Munich and Manchester City are reportedly competing for Chelsea center-back Josh Acheampong:
Manchester City and Bayern Munich have registered an interest in Josh Acheampong, GMS understands. That’s
despite Chelsea not planning or wishing to sanction an exit.
The 19-year-old is not agitating for a move away from Stamford Bridge, having been at the club for ten years, but is aware of growing interest. Neither club has made any formal contact with Chelsea and there is no guarantee anything develops this winter, especially given Chelsea’s stance and Acheampong’s commitment to the club. But both Manchester City and Bayern are understood to be watching Acheampong’s game time closely in case an opportunity presents itself next year.
Acheampong was on Bayern Munich’s radar at the end of the summer transfer window, but the Bavarians could not get a deal done. Is this going to be the time? The presence of Manchester City will definitely make things difficult, but the center-back situation at Bayern Munich is in flux at the moment.
Dayot Upamecano is still pondering his future and Kim Min-jae is rumored to be open to an exit as well. Does this interest in Acheampong tell us anything about those situations? Maybe, maybe not.
Either way, Bayern Munich could be looking to bolster the position, impending exits or not.
Big competition for El Mala (Sport Bild’s Christian Falk)
Bayern Munich has been closely linked to a pursuit of FC Köln attacker Said El Mala, but the competition for the 19-year-old will be fierce:
✅ It is TRUE: There is plenty of competition for Said El Mala. This is especially the case for Tottenham and Manchester United – both made contact with El Mala’s club, FC Köln. They said they want the player and would like to have him immediately. But both the club and El Mala said no to a winter move. However, we heard that the clubs wanted to pay €40m (£35m), but this won’t be enough for Köln.
Yes, he can make the next step in the summer, but the fee will be €60m (£52.6m) or more. We heard that if Bayern Munich are as concrete as Tottenham and Man United are at the moment, there will still be a chance for Bayern. At the moment, however, they don’t want to make a concrete offer. They’ve asked for a matching right in the event an acceptable bid is prepared.
From El Mala’s side, it sounds like the Premier League is in his mind. Perhaps this is the current plan he’s made with his agents, which is what we’ve heard. So, perhaps we’ll see him in the Premier League this summer.
El Mala is a very nice prospect, but where would he fit at Bayern Munich? That is a massive question…perhaps a €40 million question.
Barca open to Ter Stegen loan (Mundo Deportivo via ESPN)
FC Barcelona is reportedly open to loaning out Marc-André ter Stegen in January:
Barcelona could consider loaning out goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but a move to Saudi Arabia is unlikely.
Right now, everything is important for Ter Stegen, but the most key thing for him is playing time. To have any hope of making the German national team for the World Cup, he must get minutes — and it appears that he will need to leave FC Barcelona to do that.
Bayern not in on Mainoo (Sport Bild’s Christian Falk)
Despite rumors to the contrary, Sport Bild’s Christian Falk says that Bayern Munich is not in on a pursuit of Manchester United youngster Kobbie Mainoo:
❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern could look to sign Kobbie Mainoo. It’s not true at the moment. Bayern know the player is an interesting option, but he’s not currently being seen as a Bayern Munich player. That’s down to a handful of reasons, like salary and the potential fee. The club is searching for a potential successor to Leon Goretzka, of course, but there is more of an idea to give opportunities to players like Tom Bischof who are already present in the squad. He can play the position, but Bayern are ultimately searching for players who can be the future of the position. That’s because they’ve already got players like Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlović, and Konrad Laimer who can fit the role. They don’t need Mainoo at the moment, and he’d be unlikely to get playing time in Munich. So it’s not a transfer that would make sense for both clubs.
Mainoo is a talent, but it seems like the move that would be cost-prohibitive for Bayern Munich anyway. It is not as if Manchester United would let him walk away for free.
Multiple clubs — including BVB — scoping Sancho (ESPN)
Could Jadon Sancho end up back at Borussia Dortmund again? Maybe:
Multiple clubs are keeping tabs on the situation of Manchester United attacking midfielder Jadon Sancho, according to TEAMtalk. Borussia Dortmund are interested in bringing the 25-year-old back for a third spell at the club, while Monaco and Como have also held talks with his representatives. Sancho is on loan at Aston Villa this season, and the Old Trafford hierarchy don’t plan to bring him back, but Villa intend to keep him for the remainder of his loan rather than open up the possibility of a switch in January. He has made 13 appearances across all competitions this season.
Sancho should be a case study for why sometimes chasing the bag is not always the most fruitful career path. Since joining Manchester United, it has been one misstep after another and — as Timo Werner has found out — you cannot always recover or get another real chance.
If Sancho really wants to take a run at reviving his career (debatable at this point), he should accept reduced terms (maybe a necessity at this point), re-commit himself, and get the hell out of Manchester.
Otherwise, he is just half-assing his prime.
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…
