Real eyeing Pavlović (Madrid Universal)
It appears that Michael Olise is not the only Bayern Munich star on Real Madrid’s radar. In fact, Aleksandar Pavlović might also be the apple of Real’s eye:
Despite assembling an excellent squad under Jose Mourinho, defensive midfield remains a cause for concern for Real Madrid. Mourinho has identified Bernardo Silva and Aurelien Tchouameni as his ideal midfield partnership in recent weeks. However, Bernardo is no spring chicken, and even if he were to do the job this season, Real Madrid need to think
about the future.
As quoted by Defensa Central, Spanish football analyst Maldini has now suggested that Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic could be an interesting option for Los Blancos. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Maldini explained why the German international possesses the qualities to play for Real Madrid.
The 22-year-old has established himself as an important player at Bayern Munich, earning recognition for his composure in possession and ability to organise play from midfield.
Maldini believes that although Pavlovic might struggle to secure an immediate starting position at Madrid, he could gradually develop into a regular.
“He could be a future starter if Madrid signed him because Bernardo Silva is already a veteran. He wouldn’t be a bad signing,” the analyst explained.
The Spaniard also highlighted two qualities that make Pavlovic particularly appealing.
“He gets forward and is dynamic,” Maldini added.
The Bayern youngster’s ability to combine intelligent distribution with progressive movement makes him a different option from the more experienced Bernardo.
There is little-to-no chance that Bayern Munich is thinking about a sale of Pavlović, but who wouldn’t want the Germany international?
United sill looking at Paz for summer move (ESPN)
Manchester United is reportedly looking at Como star Nico Paz, and — guess what — the Red Devils are feeling a little more confident about the move with new boss Mauricio Pochettino at the helm:
Manchester United are monitoring Como superstar Nico Paz ahead of a move next summer, according to The Sun. The 22-year-old was already on United’s radar before scoring twice and providing an assist against them in the UEFA Champions League last month. Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival as manager could help their pursuit of his fellow Argentine, although Real Madrid retain an €80 million option to re-sign the midfielder in 2027. Meanwhile, The Telegraph says that Pochettino is expected to be backed in the January transfer window, with the Red Devils likely to be in the market for a defender and a striker.
Olise’s camp talking informally with Bayern (Sport Bild’s Christian Falk)
For those hoping to see Michael Olise ink a contract extension with Bayern Munich, this is encouraging…kind of:
It’s something of a “semi-true” claim that Michael Olise’s camp is in talks with the club. To be clear: they’re not in contract negotiations at the moment. Bayern Munich let him know that they want to have a decision by next summer, so you see how much time there is until this decision is made. On the one hand, they know he has a long-term contract still (with three years left) and he’s not one of the top earners, so you can always ask him to sign a contract extension for another two years and then they’ll bump up his salary. But of course, it’s important to give the player a sign to say, “Hey, we’re really confident with you! We want you to stay for as long as we can possibly have you at Bayern Munich.”
FC Bayern doesn’t tend to get everything done at once. First on the agenda was the contract extension for Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane, and now the next step can be to talk with the next superstar for the future — this is Michael Olise. But no, it’s too early to say whether there’s any decision or any sign as to what the France international will do next.
Gruda just doing what he does (Opta Franz)
RB Leipzig star Brajan Gruda’s dribbling skills translated over for the Germany national team during its 3-1 win over Serbia on Friday:
9 – Brajan Gruda won nine of his 14 dribbles on his DFB debut – in the last 10 years, only one German player has completed more successful dribbles in a single match: Jamal Musiala in December 2022 against Costa Rica (13).
A beacon of hope.
Rice goes to bat for Kane’s Ballon d’Or win (@iMiaSanMia)
Declan Rice was queried about the Harry Kane vs. Lamine Yamal debate and gave the most diplomatic response he could possibly provide:
Ahead of tomorrow’s Spain vs England, a Spanish journalist asked Declan Rice:
‘A few minutes ago, Alex Baena was speaking and said that, in his opinion, Lamine Yamal was the one who deserved the Ballon d’Or. You know Harry Kane very well. Do you think tomorrow is a great opportunity for him to make his case and show the world that he was the one who truly deserved that award?
Rice: “I think in Harry’s case, for me and for everyone in England, Harry deserved the Ballon d’Or. I think if you look at his season, his numbers, the trophies he won and the way he performed in those games, it wasn’t just about goals. He delivered man-of-the-match performances. He was relentless. So, I can understand why every Spanish player is obviously going to say Lamine. Lamine is an incredible player, one of the best players in the world, and he’s going to win plenty of Ballons d’Or. But I think this time it was right that Harry won, and I think he fully deserved it.”
Falk says Upamecano won’t have release clause triggered any time soon (Sport Bild’s Christian Falk)
The release clause in Dayot Upamecano’s contract has caused Bayern Munich fans a lot of consternation of late. However, maybe it is much ado about nothing—check this out:
✅It is TRUE: Dayot Upamecano has a release clause in his contract. He also had one in the old contract before, which was really, really high – about double the amount of what he’s got now. It’s speculated to sit at about €65m [£54.3m], which isn’t a particularly high fee for a player of this quality. But this was a key point in negotiations when he had to sign a new contract, and he wanted to sign a new contract. The Frenchman made a call to his agent when there was some trouble between the club and the agent, as there was a lot of debate going on around the potential signing fee on the table. There was no question about the release clause; this was okay, Bayern just didn’t want it to be available immediately. I do have to emphasise: Upamecano wanted to stay. There was a time when there was some concern he would leave, but the centre-back made a call, as did the club, they talked directly and Dayot Upamecano made it clear that this was his club and he had not interest in leaving. Don’t forget, he’s got a big connection with head coach Vincent Kompany. So yes, while there is a release clause, I don’t see it being triggered in the near future.
Buying too much into what any media member reports can be a bad idea — and, in this case, the release clause will always be ominous. Maybe, though, the Frenchman really does love being in Bavaria and playing with this team. If so, maybe Falk will be proven right.
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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