Jadon Sancho will leave Manchester United this summer, that much is clear, however, what remains unknown is his future destination.

After enjoying a brilliant half-season at Borussia Dortmund it was thought that he would be making his loan move to the Bundesliga side a permanent one.

With the Red Devils keen to maximise any transfer fee on the player, Dortmund have taken a step back according to German football expert, Christian Falk.

Man United ace Jadon Sancho could still have a future at Dortmund

“Borussia Dortmund are out of the Jadon Sancho race because they can’t afford him. They just don’t have the money so have had to step back,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

There is, however, a potential route back to Signal Iduna Park for the former England international.

Sancho is believed to be open to the overtures from Juventus, but it’s understood that the Bianconeri need to sell before they can buy.

In the eventuality that they can’t get the players off their books that are needed to balance the club’s coffers, a stay in the Bundesliga isn’t out of the question.

“If Juventus can’t sign Sancho Dortmund would be still interested, but they can’t pay his transfer fee at this moment,” Falk added

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So, it would appear to be a high stakes waiting game to see how this game of poker eventually pans out.

From United’s point of view, the sooner that any deal can be done the better, as the funds secured from Sancho’s sale would allow them to enter the transfer market to an even greater degree than they have already.

The post Exclusive: Still a slight chance that Dortmund could sign Jadon Sancho appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Vincent Kompany has a huge job on his hands at Bayern Munich, not least because he wasn’t the club’s first choice to replace Thomas Tuchel.

Last season ended up being a painful one for the Bavarians.

Knocked out of the German cup by lowly Saarbrucken, beaten at the death in the Champions League by Real Madrid and well off the pace in the Bundesliga, the club need a hard reset.

There are huge question marks as to whether Kompany is the best man to provide it, however.

Vincent Kompany has it all to prove at Bayern Munich

“I think it’s good to bring in a new new coach with new ideas and yes, of course, the Pep philosophy. Pep is still a hero at Bayern and Kompany learned so much from him. Bayern called Pep and wanted to hear what he thought about Kompany and he said “do it, he’s good, he’s great, he will do the job perfectly,”” German football expert, Christian Falk, said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“But if you ask five coaches before you finally bring a coach in, and particularly one who was relegated from the Premier League, this can be a problem because you have a dressing room with players who are very, very successful.

“I heard Kompany’s very self confident when he talks to the bosses so I hope he will be the same when he’s in the dressing room.

“Karl Heinz Rummenigge, who was the former CEO, who is part of the supervisory board and whose word still means so much at the club, already said that Kompany will find things very difficult and won’t be given time if he loses some of the opening matches, so the manager is already under the greatest pressure.

“There’s always friendly fire at Bayern Munich though. Their nickname in Germany is FC Hollywood, but Bayern are always at their best when there is a lot of fire at the club because it gives them energy and life.”

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It’s clear that the Belgian has it all to do, but the fact that he’s willing to take on the responsibility says an awful lot about the man.

You don’t become the captain of Man City under Pep Guardiola if you don’t have something about you.

Arguably, it’s Pep’s testimonial to his former bosses that would’ve helped secure the position for Kompany, but now he has to push all of the noise to one side and show that he’s up to the job.

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Their European Championship didn’t go the way in which they expected, and Germany’s Julian Nagelsmann will know that he has to be successful with Die Mannschaft at World Cup 2026.

For so long one of the standard bearers on the international stage, Germany have been a pale imitation of their former selves over the past few tournaments.

Being knocked out of Euro 2024 earlier than any other nation that has hosted the tournament will likely have been seen as a huge embarrassment, but the German federation will get behind their man over the next couple of years in the hope that the famous old trophy can be won once more.

Is Julian Nagelsmann Premier League bound?

Regardless of whether that happens, however, Nagelsmann will be looking for a new adventure.

“The feeling about the national team was very bad before this tournament so the main target was that the fans were proud of the national team again. Proud to wear the shirt and to sing the anthem. Over the past few weeks, they were successful in doing that so everybody’s happy,” Christian Falk said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“Of course, we have to acknowledge that the team went out once they faced their first big opponent. At the end, we were the better team against Spain but their win I think was well deserved.

“[…] He (Nagelsmann) had a release clause in his contract that if Germany didn’t get past the group stage, the contract will ripped up, but he will now see things through until the World Cup. His target is to be world champion and he knows we have a high benchmark in Germany. I think getting knocked out before the semi-finals would be disappointing.

“In any case, he will leave for a club team after that. Whether or not he’s successful in America, he won’t stay in the job. He could move to the Premier League because if you noticed, he gave many answers to foreign journalists at the Euros in English. He now speaks English very, very well so I am sure that is looking at the Premier League. It’s a pity that Pep Guardiola and Klopp won’t be there. Real Madrid might also be a future destination, but I think it will be the Premier League.”

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A coach of Nagelsmann’s standing would surely add something extra to the English top-flight, in the same way as the likes of Messrs. Wenger, Mourinho, Guardiola and Klopp have, and he’ll surely have no shortage of suitors.

With it known that he will leave the German national team regardless of how they do at the World Cup, it wouldn’t be a surprise for interested parties to be laying the foundations of their courtship already.

The post Exclusive: Nagelsmann likely to be a Premier League manager in two years appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Bayern are still considered more than interested in Joao Palhinha and would like to sign the Fulham star this summer.

The Bavarian giants, however, appear likely to only post one final offer for the Portuguese international’s services.

At which point, failure to land the holding midfielder could see the Bundesliga outfit pursue Everton’s Amadou Onana as an alternative.

“FC Bayern would still like to sign Joao Palhinha from Fulham. The third offer should still be the last. The club does not want to pay a total of more than €46m for the player,” Christian Falk wrote in his exclusive Fact Files column with CaughtOffside.

“Because Fulham wants more money, FC Bayern recently looked at Hakan Calhanoglu from Inter Milan. But the Italians also didn’t want to let the player go for less than €50m. Calhanoglu would have loved to come to FC Bayern. Only when it became clear that the move was failing due to finances did he make it clear by post that he wanted to stay at Inter.

“Bayern is therefore continuing to look for alternatives if Palhinha doesn’t work out. Amadou Onana from Everton is now an issue again. The Munich team now knows that Onana can leave for £52m [€61.4m at the current exchange rate]. The sum is higher than Palhinha, but Onana is also younger at 22 years old. The money would therefore be invested for the longer term.”

The Belgian’s current terms with the Toffees are set to expire in the summer of 2027.

MORE: Exclusive: Watch out Liverpool; Chelsea now ‘interested’ in €32.5m target who lit up Bundesliga last term

Who else likes Amadou Onana?

It’s worth pointing out that Bayern Munich won’t necessarily have a clear run at Onana in the current window.

Most clubs are remaining patient ahead of the end of international tournaments, and in the meantime, Arsenal are said to be keeping a close eye on the Belgian international.

It’s just a ‘monitoring‘ stage as things currently stand, but things can, of course, quickly develop in the market.

Unai Emery’s Aston Villa have also been linked with a potential move for the Bayern target, though it remains to be seen how the Villans will deploy their funds this summer.

The post Exclusive: What Christian Falk has now heard about Bayern and Arsenal target Amadou Onana appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal could now be set to lose Chidozie Obi-Martin to a European rival in the upcoming summer window.

The 16-year-old prodigy could be the latest in a trend of young Premier League talent to make the switch to the Bundesliga.

Christian Falk reports that both the Bavarian giants and Borussia Dortmund hold an interest in the forward. Bayern Munich, however, appear to hold the advantage as things currently stand.

“It’s true that Bayern Munich are interested in Arsenal youngster Chidozie Obi-Martin. He’s very attractive for Bayern. He’s scoring plenty of goals,” the German reporter told CaughtOffside in his exclusive Fact Files column.

“Bayern have the advantage as the situation is a bit different in Germany compared to England – he can already sign a professional contract at 16 years of age. Bayern would only have to pay €400,000. So he’s really cheap!

“But Bayern aren’t the only club interested; there’s also Dortmund who are going for him. So it’s getting really interesting, but I heard that Bayern have a good chance of signing Obi-Martin.”

Obi-Martin has registered 32 goals in 18 U18 Premier League appearances this term.

MORE: Chelsea given Colwill transfer warning as insider lifts lid on Euro giant ‘discussions’

Elsewhere: Arsenal miss out on Benjamin Sesko

Intriguing RB Leipzig centre-forward Benjamin Sesko put a stop to the speculation surrounding his next move in football.

The Slovenian international instead opted to extend his current terms with Die Roten Bullen until 2029. That’s despite interest from English giants Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.

A pity for the Gunners given Gabriel Jesus’ injury concerns in 2023/24.

Mikel Arteta’s men will only hope now that they’re not losing a potentially prime striking talent to Bayern Munich to worsen the blow.

The post ‘It’s true’: Bayern Munich have ‘good chance’ of stealing 32-goal Arsenal gem, says Christian Falk appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Levi Colwill’s future at Chelsea Football Club will remain unthreatened following Bayern Munich’s activity in the market.

The Bavarian outfit was thought to be keen on landing the Englishman’s signature this summer. However, it has now emerged that, despite the centre-back’s name cropping up in ‘club discussions’, a move is unlikely following the decision to sign Stuttgart’s Hiroki Ito.

“It’s true that Bayern Munich had Levi Colwill on the list; his name came up in club discussions because Bayern are searching for a player like him,” Christian Falk told CaughtOffside in his exclusive Fact Files column.

“Now they’ve decided to sign Hiroki Ito from Stuttgart, so I don’t think they’ll move for Colwill now.”

The Blues have already engaged in some significant transfer business of their own ahead of the opening of the window tomorrow on June 14.

Fabrizio Romano shared news of the impending arrival of Brazilian fullback Pedro Lima following the acquisition of Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer. However, the former will be completed via BlueCo property Strasbourg.

MORE: ‘Very interesting’: What Christian Falk is now hearing about Angelo Stiller and Barcelona

Who else could Bayern Munich sign this summer?

In a turn of events, maligned centre-half Dayot Upamecano looks set to enjoy a future in Munich under new boss Vincent Kompany.

The same, unfortunately, can’t be said for his Dutch defensive partner, Matthijs de Ligt.

“Bayern Munich want to sell Matthijs de Ligt. For me, it’s a pity, but in the talks with Vincent Kompany it became clear the Dutchman isn’t one of the centre-backs the new boss is planning with for 2024/25. De Ligt does have a market for the summer transfer window,” Falk continued.

As such, it explains why the Belgian tactician’s outfit is so keen to land further reinforcements in the backline.

One name that stands out amongst the crowd is that of Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah who is the subject of heavy interest from Bayern Munich this summer.

The post Chelsea given Colwill transfer warning as insider lifts lid on Euro giant ‘discussions’ appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Hansi Flick could yet infuriate his old employers at Bayern Munich all over again by signing Angelo Stiller this summer.

The Allianz Arena-based outfit was said to be unhappy with the quintuple-winning boss’ decision to allow Angelo Stiller to slip through their fingers back in 2021.

Now playing for VfB Stuttgart, it has come to light that the 23-year-old footballer could link up with his former head coach at Barcelona.

“Hansi Flick’s interest in Angelo Stiller is a very interesting development because the 23-year-old was a talent at Bayern Munich when Flick was the coach there. Stiller left the club because Hansi Flick didn’t plan with him,” Christian Falk told CaughtOffside in his exclusive Fact Files column.

“The bosses at the club weren’t very happy with this decision as he was a homegrown talent born in Munich and a very talented young player. Instead, he made his way outside of Munich, and now Flick and Barcelona are indeed interested in him because of his very good development in the sport.

“Stiller has a style of playing that matches Barcelona’s footballing philosophy. I heard about a new name for the style that Barcelona will play this coming season – they say in Spain it’s now ‘Flicki-Flaka football’!”

Intriguingly, one report from Bar Canaletes (via Football Espana) placed the Munich-born talent in Barcelona on June 12.

MORE: ‘Wants to’: Christian Falk unveils the three English clubs interested in Benjamin Sesko

When does Angelo Stiller’s contract expire?

Stiller’s current terms with Die Roten are set to expire in the summer of 2027.

Where does Stiller play for VfB Stuttgart?

The former Hoffenheim star (having joined from FC Bayern II in 2021) primarily features in the holding midfield role. The footballer does have some (the operative word there being some) experience playing further afield and featured as a centre-half once in 2022/23.

It’s fair to expect that Flick would similarly deploy his old protege as a holding six were he to make the switch to La Liga this summer.

Don’t forget – the departure of Sergio Busquets in 2023 has still left the Catalan giants with a considerable vacancy in the holding midfielder position.

Perhaps Stiller could be the man to fix that issue.

The post ‘Very interesting’: What Christian Falk is now hearing about Angelo Stiller and Barcelona appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Benjamin Sesko raised brows across Europe after ignoring interest from several English giants.

Christian Falk now reports that Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United were keen on the RB Leipzig striker ahead of the summer window.

The Slovenian has now, instead, agreed fresh terms with the Bundesliga outfit. Though, he could be persuaded to depart the German top-flight next year given he already ‘wants’ to ‘make the next step’.

“Benjamin Sesko wants to make the next step but at the moment he’s only played one year in the Bundesliga,” the head of football at BILD told CaughtOffside in his exclusive Fact Files column.

“RB Leipzig made him a good new offer with a longer contract that keeps him at the club until the summer of 2029. He’s now the best earner at Leipzig with €10m a year, so it’s a good salary for him. Now he has a promise that he can leave next season if there are clubs again that come up with good offers.

“Players know if Leipzig promise them they’re free to go that the promise will be upheld. I think we will see him in the Bundesliga this season for sure, then we’ll lose him next year as we did with Christopher Nkunku and Dominik Szoboszlai.

“He could have earned a lot of money in Saudi Arabia – they offered him €30m a year. Dortmund were also interested but that’s a step too early. One more year at Leipzig and then he’s looking at the Premier League. I heard that Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United were interested in him.”

The former RB Salzburg hitman registered 16 goal contributions in 31 Bundesliga games in his opening campaign with Marco Rose’s men.

Who needed to sign Sesko this summer?

It’s debatable whether Arne Slot’s Liverpool truly need another striker with the likes of Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota still available at the club. Both Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah, likewise, could more than plug a hole in a central striker role if need be.

Over in London, however, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal would most certainly benefit from reinforcements in that area. Gabriel Jesus can be a menacing option up top, when fit. That said, the Brazilian has spent chunks of the 2023/24 campaign in the treatment room with various niggles.

Manchester United are perhaps in most desperate need of a striking addition in light of Rasmus Hojlund’s inexperience and Marcus Rashford’s discouraging inconsistency.

The England international disappointed with his haul of 13 goal contributions in 43 games (across all competitions) – a stunning decline from 2022/23’s tally of 40 goal contributions in 56 games.

A shame, then, that all outfits involved will be forced to look elsewhere.

The post ‘Wants to’: Christian Falk unveils the three English clubs interested in Benjamin Sesko appeared first on CaughtOffside.

The future of the Manchester United head coach role may have now become clearer.

Christian Falk, reporting for the Daily Briefing, has now shared details of Thomas Tuchel’s talks with Sir Jim Ratcliffe over the role in question.

The German tactician, formerly of FC Bayern Munich, finds himself a free agent after a mutual agreement to step down from his position with the Bavarian outfit.

“According to my information, there was a secret meeting in Monaco last Tuesday between ex-Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel (50) and the new Manchester United shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe (71)!” the head of football at BILD wrote.

“The British billionaire is said to have listened to Tuchel’s vision for the future of United in order to explore a collaboration for the upcoming season.”

The Manchester United shareholder is reportedly a ‘driving force’ behind the club’s efforts to land the 50-year-old, having been left impressed by his accomplishments with Chelsea.

“BILD had recently reported that Ratcliffe was the driving force behind United’s efforts to get Tuchel. Tuchel’s performance at Chelsea FC, with whom he surprisingly won the Champions League in 2021, is said to have greatly impressed the billionaire,” Falk added.

Will Manchester United sack Erik ten Hag?

There’s a certain rationality in sticking with the status quo at Old Trafford.

Though to the neutral observer the Dutchman appears to be ever-fumbling with the task of restoring the Red Devils to their former glory, the ex-AJax boss has hardly been helped by matters behind the scenes.

From navigating the Cristiano Ronaldo affair to a change in ownership behind the scenes – not to mention multiple mini-crises from Jadon Sancho to Mason Greenwood – Ten Hag’s time at Carrington has been characterised by ceaseless turbulence.

That’s of course not to suggest the Manchester United coach’s decision-making has been faultless otherwise.

The opportunity, too, to land a bona fide winner in Thomas Tuchel – a Champions League winner with Chelsea – doesn’t come around often.

The temptation is there for Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The INEOS frontman is leading the charge. The only question that remains: Will he pull the trigger?

The post Exclusive: What Christian Falk has now heard about Tuchel and Man Utd job appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Liverpool now look increasingly set to miss out on Assan Ouedraogo judging by the latest round of insider info.

Christian Falk, in his latest exclusive Fact Files column with CaughtOffside, has confirmed that the teenager can move to another Bundesliga side for as little as €7.5m [£6.38m/$8.11m].

“Schalke’s top talent Assan Ouédraogo must trigger his exit clause by June 15 at the latest so that he can leave on July 1,” the German reporter wrote.

“So far, it has been said by those around him that he would accept reduced playing time to take advantage of the opportunity to train with the superstars at Säbener Straße and thus be able to develop further.

“There is no longer any room for haggling over the transfer fee for Ouedraogo. He can move within the Bundesliga for around €7.5m – a bargain price!

“Currently, only the Ouédraogo side is talking to Bayern. However, sports director Marc Wilmots (55) and squad planner Ben Manga have let the agent know that Schalke would like to “rent back” the offensive dribbler for the next second-division season.”

The 18-year-old has been described as a ‘frightening’ prospect by analyst Ben Mattinson on X (formerly Twitter), with comparisons drawn to Paul Pogba and Kehphen Thuram.

The German star is great with the ball in tight spaces. Ouédraogo is a similar profile to those of Khéphren Thuram, Ryan Gravenberch & Paul Pogba. All players who are mis-profiled as a 6 due to their physical prowess and height but actually are best as advanced 8s. pic.twitter.com/MeQvFAroNE

— Ben Mattinson (@Ben_Mattinson_) October 24, 2023

MORE: What Falk is now hearing about Gravenberch & Liverpool amid exit suggestions

Liverpool were thought to be keen on the Schalke wonderkid’s services, though it appears that the Merseysiders are more interested in exploring alternative avenues this summer.

Liverpool technically have their own Ouedraogo

He’s four years older, but with Ryan Gravenberch profiling quite similarly to the Bundesliga youngster, it’s not entirely surprising that the Reds are happy to let Bayern snap up their own version.

The Dutchman hasn’t quite had a disappointing first season at Anfield, though it’s fair to say the ex-Munich star still has much of his burgeoning potential left to realise.

With new manager Arne Slot arriving to replace the outgoing talismanic boss in Jurgen Klopp, what better time to showcase his talents than in the upcoming pre-season?

What do the stats say about Ouedraogo?

The young German stands out as quite the offensive monster. FBref have the teenager down as registering in the 96th percentile for non-penalty xG.

He appears to enjoy (and is perfectly competent at) taking on a man and arriving into the opposing box (99th and 97th percentiles respectively).

Pass completion rate is a clear area of weakness (76.5% on average per 90) – a figure Ouedraogo will be expected to seriously work on at the Allianz Arena.

The post Like Pogba: Bayern in pole position for ‘frightening’ Liverpool target at ‘bargain price’ appeared first on CaughtOffside.