Bayern to make shock bid for Hojlund? (Manchester Evening News)
Imagine whiffing out on a can’t miss Scandinavian center-forward last summer, only to take a run at the next “hot name” from the region in the summer of 2023.
It couldn’t be Bayern Munich, could it?
Well, maybe — at least per a report captured by the Manchester Evening News. MEN’s story (which was captured from a report in Italy) says that Bayern Munich could make a surprise bid for Atalanta attacker Rasmus Hojlund:
Bayern Munich are said to be readying a €50m (£44m) bid for Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund, who is being tracked by Manchester United. The 20-year-old netted five goals in Denmark’s two Euro 2024 qualifying matches during the international break, adding to the 14 club goals he has netted this term. Erik ten Hag is targeting Harry Kane this summer and also has Victor Osimhen on his potential wish list.
However, the club have circled a number of potential fallback options, including Randal Kolo Muani and Hojlund, if the summer doesn’t go according to plan. Hojlund admitted in January that he is a United fan and detailed how a move would be one of the “biggest things” for him. He also quickly clarified: “But of course, that doesn’t mean that I would turn down other big clubs if the offers come at some point.” Now, a report from TuttoAtalanta suggests Bayern Munich are putting together a £44m move to get a head start on United.
Newcastle and Arsenal are also said to be interested in the attacker. However, Atalanta are preparing to fight to keep their man in the hope of persuading him to continue his development for another season ahead of a bigger money sale next year, potentially in the region of £70m.
This would certainly be a shocking move for Bayern Munich and observers should be more than a little bit skeptical of just really how interested in Hojlund the Bavarians might be.
For those who might have gotten a little excited over the potential move, Sky Sport’s Florian Plettenberg really wants you to temper your expectations:
Spurs don’t want to deal with United for Kane (Daily Mail via 90Min.com)
It is debatable on whether or Harry Kane really wants to leave Tottenham Hotspur, but one thing seems certain — Manchester United will not be one of the teams that Tottenham chooses to do business with:
Manchester United’s hopes of landing Harry Kane have been dealt a blow with Daniel Levy reluctant to do business with either them or Manchester City following Kyle Walker’s move to the Etihad Stadium in 2017.
Kane, of course, has been linked very closely to Bayern Munich, though it is unclear how realistic that move might be.
Upamecano, Müller, Sané, Coman recognized for efforts (@WhoScored)
Bayern Munich stars Thomas Müller and Kingsley Coman were names to WhoScored.com’s Bundesliga Team of the Week:
Meanwhile, Dayot Upamecano, Leroy Sané, Müller, and Coman were named to Bild’s version of the squad:
Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 2, Episode 38 (Bavarian Football Works)
Bayern Munich had one hell of week since the last recording of the Weekend Warm-up Podcast.
Immediately after I hit the road for Richmond last weekend, the world fell for Julian Nagelsmann. By the time I hit my destination, Nagelsmann has been fired, Tuchel was linked to the job, and chaos had ensured.
It was completely wild and BFW was here for ALL of it. Here is what we have on tap for this episode:
- What we can take away from Germany’s performance during the international break.
- Ryan Gravenberch’s feud with Julian Nagelsmann and why he needs to grow up.
- Thoughts on the firing of Nagelsmann, the hiring of Thomas Tuchel, and why this is a so risky.
- What the sudden change might mean for the roster — especially during the summer transfer window.
Messi to become world’s highest paid player? (L’Equipe via 90Min.com)
Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi seems just about to ready to get even richer…seriously:
Lionel Messi has received an offer from Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal that would make him the highest-paid player in the world if he chooses to leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
According to the Daily Mirror, however, Messi still has major interest from PSG and FC Barcelona:
Lionel Messi has two offers on the table should he decide against signing a new contract at PSG, with former club Barcelona and Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal interested.
Prediction: Bayern Munich vs. SC Freiburg (Bavarian Football Works)
Thomas Tuchel’s first game at Bayern Munich was a rousing success as the Bavarians stomped out Borusssia Dortmund. Now Tuchel will jump from Der Klassiker to the DFB-Pokal against SC Freiburg.
It won’t be easy against Christian Streich’s squad, but Bayern Munich should be poised snare another victory. SC Freiburg won’t be a pushover, though.
The line of thinking here is that Bayern Munich is just a better team, but Streich has proven in the past that he is capable of getting his team to play a disruptive style capable of knocking the Bavarians off of their game. Does Streich have another ace up his sleeve capable of knocking the Bavarians from their perch?
Maybe, but I don’t buy it for this game.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 3-1 SC Freiburg
Chelsea, Spurs eyeing Bastoni (Fichajes via 90Min.com)
At one point in 2022, Bayern Munich was linked to Inter Milan center-back Alessandro Bastoni, but it looks like a Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur are now the frontrunners to get the Italian defender:
Chelsea and Tottenham will do battle this summer to sign Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni.
Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Bayern Munich 4-2 Borussia Dortmund (Bavarian Football Works)
So the Thomas Tuchel era starts with a bang. Bayern Munich dispatched Borussia Dortmund with 70 minutes of ruthless efficiency combined with 20 minutes of complete incompetence. 4-2 flatters the opponent because it could’ve easily been 6-0 in the first half itself. Safe to say, it looks like Tuchel has hit the ground running.
Here are our talking points from the game:
- Why did Thomas Tuchel return to the standard 4-2-3-1?
- A quick recap of how the game played out, and the poor play in the final 20 minutes.
- Why Thomas Muller looks soooooooo much better in the 4-2-3-1 system, especially compared to his role under Julian Nagelsmann.
- Subbing Thomas Muller remains a critical mistake no matter what your tactics are.
- The resurgence of Leroy Sane and how he came alive in the second half.
- The potential changes that could improve this lineup — mainly Jamal Musiala and Noussair Mazraoui.