BAYERN MUNICH DELAY CALL ON RAPHAëL GUERREIRO AMID CONTRACT UNCERTAINTY
Bayern Munich face a contract dilemma with veteran defender Raphaël Guerreiro. The versatile Portuguese's deal expires in 2025, with the club weighing his squad value against a potential free transfer exit next summer.
In 2023, Raphaël Guerreiro joined Bayern Munich on a free transfer. Borussia Dortmund was where Guerreiro played the majority of his career before joining the Bavarian powerhouses. The Portuguese defender has had some success with Bayern over the last two and a half years and is undoubtedly a Bundesliga veteran. But that period of time may be ending.
At the club, Raphaël Guerreiro performed as predicted. A versatile player who can play anywhere on the left wing and in the middle without creating any issues for the team. Like Konrad Laimer, he is the epitome of a superb signing.
He never achieved great success or a starting position with the team, but he was well worth the money. Bayern will have to make a tough choice because his contract expires in the summer, according to Georg Holzner of Kicker (via @iMiaSanMia):
Raphaël Guerreiro's future has been addressed by Bayern recently, although they have not yet reached a conclusion. Even though January would be the final opportunity to obtain a fee for him, Bayern is not giving the sale of Guerreiro top priority. It is believed to be more valuable to keep him in the squad through the end of the season. Next year, somewhere in the spring, there will be formal discussions with the athlete and his management. Everything is currently open from both sides.
Given that Guerreiro first joined the team on a free transfer, Bayern Munich is prepared to let him go. It may seem counterintuitive, but given that Guerreiro's contract is about to expire, it is unlikely that he will fetch more than 5 million euros at age 31.
Whatever they decide, a decision will need to be made quickly. However, given Bayern's present record and the potential importance of a flexible player in the Champions League knockout stages with any number of backline ailments, it could be a shame to trade him for a little sum of money.
BAYERN MUNICH RULE OUT MARCUS RASHFORD MOVE REGARDLESS OF ANTHONY GORDON OUTCOME
Marcus Rashford is not a target for Bayern Munich this summer, as the club focuses entirely on signing Gordon from Newcastle.
Bayern Munich aren’t considering a move for Marcus Rashford this summer, no matter what happens with Anthony Gordon. That’s according to a German reporter who’s close to the story.
Right now, Rashford is wrapping up his loan at Barcelona. He’s set to return to Manchester United at the end of the season. Barcelona have an option to make the deal permanent for €30 million (£26 million) in the summer. Both Rashford and Barcelona want him to stay, but here’s the catch: the club doesn’t want to pay the full €30 million.
Barcelona would rather keep Rashford on loan for another year or get him for a lower fee. Manchester United’s not having it. They want the full price, so Barcelona are starting to look at other players.
Rashford hasn’t made a secret of where he wants to be. Earlier in the season, he told Sport, one of the local Barcelona papers, about how much he wants to stay, saying, “Of course, what I want is to stay at Barca. It’s the ultimate goal.” He talked about the pressure and expectations at the club, saying they keep him motivated and that he feels like he’s in the perfect environment to grow and win trophies. For now, though, it’s all up in the air until next summer.
Last year, Bayern Munich actually showed some interest in Rashford before he went to Barcelona. But now, they’re focused on signing Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United for the left wing. The problem is, Gordon’s interested, but Newcastle’s price is ridiculous, reportedly around £80 million (€92.6 million). That’s much higher than what Bayern’s willing to pay. They’re thinking closer to £60 million (€69.4 million), and maybe with add-ons or an instalment plan. If Newcastle won’t budge, it probably isn’t happening.
Christian Falk, a trusted journalist from Bild, says Bayern aren’t considering Rashford as a backup if they can’t land Gordon. Bayern’s got a short list of players for the left wing, and Rashford isn’t on it. Gordon’s their main focus, but even if that deal falls through, Rashford’s not the next in line.
So at this stage, Bayern and Rashford won’t be coming together this summer, even if Gordon stays at Newcastle. That’s just not in the plans.
BAYERN MUNICH IDENTIFY ARSENAL’S KAI HAVERTZ AS TOP TARGET FOR SUMMER WINDOW
From North London to Munich? Kai Havertz emerges as the leading candidate to join Bayern’s elite Premier League-built attack.
Bayern Munich still have their eye on an Arsenal star, hoping to bring more Premier League experience up front, especially after plans with Chelsea fell apart.
Right now, Bayern are among the best teams in Europe. It really depends on how you rank PSG, but Bayern’s up there, no question. Vincent Kompany deserves a lot of credit for getting them to this level. Still, you can’t ignore their recruitment. They keep picking top-flight Premier League attackers, and it works.
With Luis Diaz, Harry Kane, and Michael Olise, Bayern’s attack is lethal. Those three have already scored 100 goals this season. Defenders in the Bundesliga just can’t cope, and you can tell their time in England’s toughest league has paid off.
Bayern have another Premier League forward in the mix right now, but he’s not sticking around.
Chelsea deal off, Bayern looking at Arsenal.
On Wednesday, Fabrizio Romano made it official that X: Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson will head back to Stamford Bridge this summer because Bayern aren’t activating his €65m buy option. Bayern’s director, Max Eberl, confirmed it, so that the backup spot behind Kane opens again when Jackson leaves.
James Benge reports that Kai Havertz’s name is coming up as a possible replacement. He said on the Inside Arsenal podcast that Bayern are definitely interested, “but nothing concrete yet.” Havertz could be the squad player who covers for Musiala and Kane.
Honestly, signing a German for Germany’s top club makes sense. Arsenal won’t just roll over, though, if Bayern come calling. Even after picking up Viktor Gyokeres last summer, Mikel Arteta still prefers Havertz up front. When Arsenal played Manchester City in their biggest game this season, Arteta benched Gyokeres and started Havertz.
Havertz has had injury issues this year. Heading into summer, he’ll still have two years left on his contract. If Bayern make a strong offer, Arsenal could think about selling.
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