Today’s top stories:
- Bayern Munich sticking to Harry Kane plan
- Borussia Dortmund reckon they have a player with more potential than Jadon Sancho
- Liverpool given answer on Ryan Gravenberch loan interest
Bayern Munich
Bayern always knew that Tottenham would be the most difficult part of potential negotiations over the future of Harry Kane. It’s always been about whether or not he’s going to sign a new contract with Spurs – if he doesn’t, they’ll be there. They’re aware, of course, that English players are generally reluctant to leave the UK, and that he wants to make history with records in the Premier League.
They remain optimistic, nonetheless, if he doesn’t extend his stay in London. Bayern bosses heard about a decision at Tottenham where they don’t want to sell him to another English club. It’s looking like he will sign but if he doesn’t then there are only so many big clubs that could attract him.
You know if you go to Bayern Munich, you’ve got a guarantee of winning silverware. So Harry has to decide whether he wants to be a Tottenham legend and one of the biggest strikers in history to have never won a trophy or if he will be a player who wins cups and perhaps the Champions League in Germany.
If you heard Antonio Conte in recent weeks, focusing on the prospect of winning competitions in future, it gives you good insight into Harry Kane’s mind.
I heard rumours of interest in Dušan Vlahovi? but there’s no truth in that – they’re not interested. But they are keen on adding a centre-half to their ranks in future.
It’s looking good for Bayern Munich when it comes to Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s contract extension. Now, they are in talks over money, and his agent, Roger Wittmann, is trying to get a good deal for his client. He’d like two years but Bayern are, at the moment, only prepared to offer him one. He will get more money; at the moment he’s earning €3.5m with add-ons, so Bayern know they have to increase his salary.
If any other club is looking at Choupo-Moting and is willing to offer him a longer contract – we heard about rumours from Manchester United in the past – then Bayern may have to give serious consideration to the prospect of a longer deal.
It will be Bayern Munich but if there’s a Premier League club willing to offer a more lucrative and lengthier contract, that could throw a spanner into the works.
Ji-soo Kim is not a target. It would be interesting to have such a player and have a connection to the Asian market but he’s just not on the list.
Malo Gusto was a person of interest for Bayern – they scouted him. However, they saw that it would be difficult to agree anything with Lyon. The player would cost €30-40m, which is too expensive for Bayern.
Chelsea, who are also interested, then have the chance to capitalise but, of course, they are experiencing similar issues in an attempt to acquire the player in the winter window. So they have to decide whether or not to commit to paying a crazy amount of money. I think, in the end, we’ll see him there but probably not until the summer.
Barcelona
Barcelona knocked on RB Leipzig’s door recently for Konrad Laimer and received a swift rebuttal. Laimer’s already off the market – Bayern Munich will win the race – so an official announcement will come very soon.
Bayer Leverkusen
Both sides, Bayer Leverkusen and Rayo Vallecano, are clear on the prospect of signing Fran García. He has a release clause of €10m, which Leverkusen are prepared to pay.
However, the deal is firmly off the table as Real Madrid are now prepared to use their buyback option of €5m. He’ll remain on loan until the summer with Vallecano and then he’s a Madrid player, much to the disappointment of Leverkusen’s key executives.
Leverkusen are looking at Eldor Shomurodov as a potential backup option to Sardar Azmoun.
Borussia Dortmund
Yes, Borussia Dortmund’s interest in Iván Fresneda is real. The big discussion is whether they’ll bring him in now or in the summer. At the moment it’s looking likely to be a summer move. The player wants to come to Dortmund.
Fabrizio Romano in an exclusive update for CaughtOffside: “Arsenal, expected to decide the next step for Ivan Fresneda as Cedric Soares closes in on a loan move to Fulham. The Cedric deal is on the verge of completion – he’ll join on loan until the end of the season, no buy option, and full salary covered by Fulham.”
I was asked last week about any big young talents who will become interesting options on the market in future. I think Jamie Bynoe-Gittens could be the next big thing in Germany, and England, of course, as he’s English.
He scored at the weekend. He’s now back from injury and performing to a high standard. I heard that the scouting system is very special in Dortmund; they’re keeping a close eye on the youngster and believe that his potential could be bigger than Jadon Sancho’s.
He and Sancho are great friends and remain in contact. The Manchester United star continues to offer advice along with his current teammate Jude Bellingham.
You can really see how Dortmund works internally, constantly developing talent and making considerable profits from sales.
I’ve heard that Julian Duranville from Anderlecht (16) is a done deal. Dortmund seems to be clear with the player and are expecting to get him for under €10m. Now Bynoe-Gittens is being developed but the club already has an eye on the next big talent.
Dortmund still have a bit of hope that Jude Bellingham could stay – they want to make him a new offer where he would become the top earner at the club with €15m. They’re planning talks in March now.
His family is thinking about the future and they’re well aware that the next step has to come in the summer because it can’t be much better for Bellingham in the Bundesliga.
His mother, Denise, is living with him in Dortmund and keeps an eye on everything. I don’t think she sees the future lying in Dortmund.
Still no offers for the club. Real Madrid are knocking repeatedly at Bellingham’s door and everyone in Europe knows March is the ideal time to make their feelings known. Real Madrid are prepared but Dortmund have to make a clear move to try and retain the player because of the fans.
If he were to sign a new deal, they could factor in Marco Reus’ potential exit or drop in salary to give him a financial boost. But everybody in Dortmund knows, and from what I heard, they are open to exit talks with two years remaining on his current deal.
Chelsea
Fabrizio Romano in an exclusive update for CaughtOffside: “I also want to clarify that Kai Havertz will not be leaving Chelsea in January. There is a lot of talk about interest from Bayern Munich, but nothing is happening now, this is something that will be discussed in the summer.”
Frankfurt
There’s a special clause included in Kolo Muani’s contract that could have a big say in how quickly a deal is completed for the player. Basically, if the player is sold, his agent gets 10% of the transfer fee. So there’s an incentive on the agent’s end.
It seems Frankfurt expect Daichi Kamada to leave the club as they’re trying to bring in Ellyes Skhiri (27) from FC Köln as a free agent in the summer.
Liverpool
I’ve heard from the club that they have no intention of letting Ryan Gravenberch leave in the winter window on a loan or permanent transfer.
They’ve had no signal from Liverpool until now. For sure, there were no negotiations, offer or any form of knocking on Bayern’s door.
? Will Liverpool fail to secure Champions League football if they don’t sign a midfielder in January? Let me know your thoughts below!
Manchester United
No chance of a January transfer for Dani Olmo. We heard that talks with Olmo for a new contract are far along, so it seems he will extend his stay with RB Leipzig.
The good news for interested clubs like Manchester United is that Olmo has a clear wish to move to the Spanish top-flight, so he’s going to get two different release clauses in his contract – they haven’t been signed yet but we think they’ll be added. One that allows clubs to sign him for €70-75m but another where, if Barcelona or Real Madrid are knocking on his door, he can leave for €60m.
I think, if United are still interested, they’ve got a chance there.
? Manchester United are not looking to the market with Jadon Sancho. The aim is to protect the player and have him ready for the second-half of the season (Fabrizio Romano via CaughtOffside).
Thomas Tuchel
So, there was a lot of speculation about Thomas Tuchel potentially signing something in Qatar after he was seen flying with Qatar Airways. Everyone can relax on that front – he was just flying over Qatar to Australia to watch the Australian Open.
Tottenham
Fabrizio Romano in an exclusive update for CaughtOffside: “Tottenham are closing in on Pedro Porro, with all parties feeling confident it could be done in 24-48 hours. There’ll be a new round of talks today to try to get this deal sealed, with payment terms being the final point of discussion.”
Troyes
At the moment, a proposed deal between Troyes and Stuttgart for Alexis Tibidi is off. Stuttgart agreed a loan deal with Rheindorf Altach but Tibidi tried everything to get away (because he wanted the move), including not going to training, but this wasn’t successful as Stuttgart had no clause in his contract to get him back immediately.
Altach wanted about €600,000 for the player to be sent back to be sold to Troyes. Stuttgart said no to that proposal, so, the deal’s not on for now.