KOMPANY'S CHOICE: BAYERN JOINS RACE FOR BELGIAN STAR NATHAN DE CAT

Bayern Munich are tracking Anderlecht's 17-year-old Belgian midfielder Nathan De Cat. The Bundesliga giants face competition from Dortmund and Leverkusen for the €25m-rated deep-lying playmaker.

Kompany's Choice: Bayern Joins Race For Belgian Star Nathan De Cat
Nathan De Cat is a World Class Talent

During the international breaks, there are excessive rumours about transfers. Bayern Munich, however, is keeping a close eye on a few of the youthful talents. Nathan De Cat, a gifted 17-year-old, has piqued the curiosity of the reigning Bundesliga champions.

Florian Plettenberg and Patrick Berger claim that Anderlecht is requesting around €25 million for one of the most talented players in club history. In order to recruit this highly anticipated midfield player, Bayern will have to contend with Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, two other Bundesliga titans.

The Belgian midfielder may eventually take Leon Goretzka's spot at the Allianz Arena when his contract ends next summer.

De Cat is a trigger-happy midfielder with excellent physicality, and he and Goretzka have many face-value parallels. The 17-year-old Belgian wonderkid has a body designed for elite football and is already almost 6'3". However, it would be evident from seeing him play that he resembles Joshua Kimmich more than Leon Goretzka.

Because of his exceptional playstyle, Nathan De Cat is a tactical fit for Vincent Kompany's Bayern.

Nathan De Cat's passing statistics might lead someone to conclude that he is a horrible person. They rank in the bottom 10% of midfielders in the top 14 competitions with just 37 passes attempted per game and a pitiful 72% completion rate.

His tape, however, demonstrates the logic behind these disappointing figures. In any midfield setup, De Cat often sits the deepest and tries a lot of long balls and line-breaking passes to swiftly advance the ball to the opposition's penalty area.

De Cat likes to sit deep in build-up situations, spraying long switches and through balls to set up wingers in high-risk scenarios. Unlike the McTominays or the Fellainis, he is not your classic long, physical box crasher.

This type of play has a price: while taking more chances can result in greater rewards, it also increases the likelihood of errant passes.

Nathan De Cat's game clearly demonstrates the potential in the area of creating opportunities. The young Belgian can develop into one of the most skilled players in the game under the guidance of Joshua Kimmich, one of the top deep-lying playmakers in the world.

De Cat's ability to read the game and make quick decisions is one of its most amazing features.

He can manoeuvre through more confined spaces and disrupt the opponent's pressing strategy thanks to his beautiful first touch and turn.

The Belgian U17 player is at ease making one-touch passes at any distance and enjoys them as well.

Vincent Kompany's quick build-up, which makes extensive use of touch-and-go and one-two punches between players, may be ideal for De Cat.

Nathan De Cat does not contribute particularly well when not in possession, even though he primarily plays as a defensive midfielder in a double pivot at Anderlecht.

When it comes to tackling and intercepting the football, he is subpar. Considering his enormous height, his aerial duels are very lacklustre.

His agility, which occasionally prevents him from tracking back and making turns on the defensive end, is also questioned by some evaluators. He obviously has some trouble keeping an eye on his long physique and making the most of it when playing defence.

Still an untapped skill...

Having said that, for a 17-year-old player, he possesses a remarkably diverse skill set. De Cat will undoubtedly get better in the years to come now that he has some elite experience in the Belgian league.

At this age, he has an exceptional football IQ and is already quite at ease in the modern game.

He is still extremely young, and a good coaching team can readily address his shortcomings.

Imagine the midfield with Pavlovic, Bischof, Musiala, and De Cat. Delicious!

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.

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Bayern Munich excluded Marcus Rashford from their summer plans - Photo Credit: Getty Images

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.

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Kai Havertz emerges as Bayern replacement for Jackson following Chelsea deal collapse - Photo Credit: Getty Images

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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