KOMPANY'S IMPACT: SERGE GNABRY BACK TO TOP FORM, SET FOR NEW BAYERN DEAL
Serge Gnabry has regained top form under Vincent Kompany, scoring four and assisting five. He is now set to sign a two-year Bayern Munich contract extension despite taking a pay cut.
Vincent Kompany's work at Bayern Munich over the past year and a half has earned him praise across Europe. He brought stability to the team last season and helped them win the Bundesliga title again. The Belgian coach has also brought in an attractive style of play. It keeps the fans entertained while also getting the wins.
Besides the results and good football, Kompany has also managed to get the most out of players who were struggling before he got to Munich. Serge Gnabry is one player who fits this description. The German winger wasn't playing his best for a couple of months.
Gnabry was fighting for his place in Munich coming into this season, as he was in the last year of his contract. Now, four months into the new season, the German winger is close to a contract extension, having returned to top form under Kompany.
Florian Plettenberg from Sky Sports in Germany says Bayern is likely to offer Gnabry a two-year extension. The club is happy with how Gnabry has played this season. The player will need to take a pay cut to sign a new deal.
Serge Gnabry feels good after positive talks with Bayern.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Gnabry said he's had good talks with Bayern and isn't worried about his future.
If Bayern doesn’t extend his contract by the end of December, he can talk to other clubs about a free transfer in January. But Gnabry wants to stay in Munich, so he won’t be talking to other clubs during the winter transfer window. There was Premier League interest in Gnabry in the last two summer transfer windows.
Gnabry has scored four goals and has five assists in all competitions. He's done well in the number ten role behind Harry Kane. The team needed someone to step up after Jamal Musiala was injured during the Club World Cup in the summer, and Gnabry has been consistent in this role.
Looking forward, Gnabry might play less with Jamal Musiala back and Lennart Karl emerging. But his experience will be valuable for Bayern during a long season. With Gnabry willing to take a pay cut, giving him a new two-year deal would be a smart move by Bayern.
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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