YOUNGEST RECORD-BREAKER: MEET LENNART KARL, THE 17-YEAR-OLD TAKING THE BUNDESLIGA BY STORM
Vincent Kompany backs Lennart Karl after Real Madrid comments. Get the latest on Neuer’s return and Bayern’s injury-hit squad.
Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany brushed off Lennart Karl’s recent comment about Real Madrid being his “dream club,” calling it a simple mistake.
Karl, who just made his debut for Bayern in August, is only 17, but he’s already bagged goals in both the Champions League and the Bundesliga—making him the club’s youngest scorer in both competitions. Still, he stirred things up last weekend when he told fans he saw himself moving on one day.
“FC Bayern is a huge club. Playing here is a dream. But at some point, I definitely want to go to Real Madrid,” Karl said. “That’s my dream club, but let’s keep that between us.”
Kompany, speaking before Sunday’s match against Wolfsburg, wasn’t too fazed. He called Karl’s words a “communicative error” and said, “I try to keep some distance from this stuff. Everyone has to weather a storm here and there. What matters is the bigger picture.”
He went on, “Lennart works hard every day, not just in games but in training and meetings too. Maybe he slipped up with what he said, but his focus is in the right place, and he’s had a good week.”
Kompany praised Karl’s attitude: “He’s earned his minutes—his quality is obvious, and he’s doing a lot right. He spoke with Christoph Freund and Max Eberl and apologised, which I appreciate. I’ve tried to be the one person not talking to him about it! If he ever stops giving 100%, then he’ll have a problem with me, but so far he’s trained and played really well.”
Bayern will be missing Sacha Boey, Alphonso Davies, Jamal Musiala, and Joshua Kimmich against Wolfsburg due to injuries, but Manuel Neuer returns from a hamstring issue. Neuer’s contract runs out at the end of the season, and Bayern won’t make any decisions about his future until March, when he’ll turn 40.
“Manu is fit and will start in goal,” Kompany said. “He’s achieved so much here—it’s amazing, honestly. He’s almost 40 and still playing at the very top. We’ll sit down and figure things out together.”
Bayern head into the Christmas break sitting comfortably at the top of the Bundesliga, eight points clear, while Wolfsburg are stuck down in 14th.
Kompany isn’t taking anything for granted, though. “Wolfsburg’s strengths are obvious—they’re dangerous going forward and always a threat. They’ve scored plenty lately. It’s not a game we can take lightly.”
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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