VINCENT KOMPANY DEFENDS MANUEL NEUER: KEEPER'S FUTURE HINGES ON MARCH FEELING
Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer will decide on his contract extension by March, despite a recent Champions League error. He reaffirmed his retirement from the German national team.
It was a tough week for Manuel Neuer and Bayern Munich. They lost their first game of the season to Arsenal in the Champions League. Neuer made a mistake on Arsenal’s third goal, which sealed the match at Emirates Stadium.
During Friday's press conference, Vincent Kompany defended Neuer. He said Neuer made the right choice to challenge the attack, but Gabriel Martinelli still managed to score the winning goal, giving Arsenal a 3-1 victory.
Neuer has been playing well this season overall. He played great in Paris earlier this month, helping Bayern get a 2-1 victory against the defending European champions, even after they were down a man for half the game.
Because of his form, there are talks in Germany that Neuer will sign another one-year extension. After Bayern’s 3-1 victory against St. Pauli, Neuer talked about his future in Munich, saying he's not rushing to sign a new deal and will decide later in the season.
Neuer said, It will depend on how I feel. I'll decide closer to March during the international break.
Neuer will be 40 during the second half of the season. Though he had a difficult period last season, he is still playing well overall. Bayern supports Neuer and thinks he can still help the team, both on and off the field. They will decide his future together later in the season.
Bayern has already picked Jonas Urbig as Neuer’s replacement in the future. Urbig joined Munich at the beginning of 2025 and did a solid job filling in for Neuer last season when he was injured. Urbig has played in the DFB Pokal this season to get playing time. Bayern wants Urbig to play more Bundesliga and Champions League games in the next year and a half.
Neuer also said again that he won't return to the German national team.
Because he’s been playing well, some people in the German media and former players have asked Neuer to return to the team. But Neuer announced he was retiring from international soccer after the 2024 Euros.
Neuer said on Saturday that he’s not changing his mind about retiring from international play. He wants to focus on playing for his club.
It would take something unexpected for Neuer to play for Germany in the World Cup at the end of the season. But, for now, Bayern fans are hoping Neuer keeps playing well and helps Bayern win this year.
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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