FREEZING OUT: RAPHAëL GUERREIRO EYES BENFICA ESCAPE FROM BAYERN BENCH
Despite scoring vs. St. Pauli, Raphaël Guerreiro is unhappy with his limited starts under Kompany. Benfica, led by Mourinho, are keen to sign the Portuguese international and fan favourite in January.
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Raphaël Guerreiro was key in Bayern Munich's 3-1 victory over St. Pauli at the Allianz Arena this weekend. He kicked off Bayern’s scoring, which helped them to come back and win. Manager Vincent Kompany switched up the starting lineup a bit from the 3-1 Champions League loss to Arsenal, and Guerreiro was one of the changes.
So far this season, the Portuguese player, who can play left back or winger, has played in 13 games across all competitions, starting only five times. In the league, the St. Pauli game was just his second start. His other starts were in the Champions League against Pafos FC and Club Brugge, and in the DFB-Pokal first round against Wehen Wiesbaden. Even with Alphonso Davies and Hiroki Ito out (though Ito is back now), it seems Kompany prefers Tom Bischof at left back over Guerreiro.
Not too surprisingly, there’s talk that Guerreiro might leave Bayern as early as this winter. A BOLA, a Portuguese source, says Benfica is very interested in signing Guerreiro in January. Manager José Mourinho likes that he’s played at a high level in the Bundesliga, Champions League, and for the Portuguese national team.
Guerreiro has said before that he's a big Benfica fan. Moving there would likely mean he gets to play more often, especially with Ito back for Bayern and Davies getting closer to returning. When Davies is back, Guerreiro would be up against Davies, Bischof, Ito, and even Josip Stanišić, who’s played left back before, for playing time.
Even though Guerreiro doesn't start often for Kompany, Bayern appreciates him a lot. He’s proven he can step up when needed. But that might not stop him from wanting to leave, either this winter or next summer. His contract with Bayern lasts until June 2026, so he could also leave as a free agent if Bayern decides not to extend his contract.
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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