WHY KIM MIN-JAE IS REFUSING TO LEAVE BAYERN MUNICH THIS JANUARY
Kim Min-jae has reportedly rejected all winter transfer offers from Fenerbahçe and Italy to fight for his place at Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich aren’t in a hurry to let go of their senior players this January, even if some of them really want more minutes on the pitch. The club’s top brass and Vincent Kompany both think a deeper squad gives them a better shot at managing matches during the Ruckrunde. It also keeps Bayern in the race for trophies on all fronts.
Right now, Kim Min-jae is one of the few Bayern players drawing real interest from clubs around Europe. Fenerbahce are hoping to lure him back to Turkey, and there’s buzz from Serie A as well. But honestly, Kim’s not biting. The 29-year-old has made up his mind about what comes next.
Florian Plettenberg from Sky Sports Germany reports that Kim Min-jae isn’t looking for a move in the middle of the season. He’s turning down all the winter offers and plans to stick it out in Munich until the summer, at least.
Bayern are happy to keep him around for the Ruckrunde. The truth is, Kim had a rough first half of the season. He lost his spot in the starting lineup, with Jonathan Tah slotting right in as Kompany’s go-to center-back. In total, Kim Min-jae clocked 686 minutes between the Bundesliga and the Champions League. Tah and Dayot Upamecano have been Bayern’s main pairing in defense for most games.
Looking ahead, Kim Min-jae might need to consider a transfer this summer. Bayern appreciate that he’s fighting for his place, but it feels like his time in Munich is probably winding down.
Since joining from Napoli in 2023, Kim hasn’t really strung together a full season of strong performances. The second half of the season, in particular, has been tough for him. Last summer, clubs like Al-Nassr, PSG, and Juventus circled, but in the end, he stayed in Bavaria.
With two years left on his contract, Bayern might decide to cash in when the window opens again. Kim won’t be short on options. A return to Italy could make sense—he thrived in Serie A before. For now, he’s got the rest of this season to make his case, help Bayern chase silverware, and maybe write a different ending to his time in Munich.
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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