Vincent Kompany – CaughtOffside

West Ham set to battle Man United for €25m-rated Bayern ace

Jason Pettigrove — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 06:49:22 +0000

Both West Ham and Man United have been active in the transfer market this summer, and with a few weeks left before the window slams shut, there’s an expectation that more signings will be made.

The right-back position is evidently one where both clubs are looking to strengthen and it may well be that the future of Aaron Wan-Bissaka has a defining effect on both clubs before the 2024/25 season begins.

It’s understood that the Hammers are interested in the former Crystal Palace man, however, as Sky Sports Germany note, both the East Londoners and the Red Devils have been in talks with Bayern Munich over Noussair Mazraoui.

West Ham to battle with Man United over Mazraoui

The outlet note that the Bundesliga giants would be prepared to accept between €20m and €25m for Mazraoui’s services, a price that is well within reach for both Premier League sides.

If the Hammers aren’t successful in landing Mazraoui, then Wan-Bissaka will be a reasonable enough alternative.

Man United would certainly sell the player to the East Londoners if they themselves can land the Bayern ace.

West Ham and Man United want Noussair Mazraoui

At present, it isn’t clear what the 26-year-old Moroccan’s plans are, and indeed whether he favours Old Trafford over the London Stadium.

Once his decision is made, then the right-back merry-go-round will start to turn.

From Julen Lopetegui’s point of view, West Ham appear to have had their fingers in a number of pies transfer wise, but have only managed to get three deals over the line so far.

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Man United have very evidently puffed out their chests and have bought some of the biggest names available in the market so far.

In essence at present, West Ham want to be a team that are going places whilst Man United clearly are.

Signing Mazraoui won’t make or break the window for either club, though it will put down a marker.

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Arsenal looking at super attacking signing who isn’t considered untouchable by current club

Jason Pettigrove — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 07:44:28 +0000

As the transfer window starts to heat up, Arsenal are set to get involved in negotiations in a big way.

Mikel Arteta’s squad have been improving year on year but, to date, haven’t managed to overhaul the juggernaut that is Pep Guardiola’s Man City.

With a couple of studious additions and sales to balance the books in terms of Financial Fair Play the Gunners could strengthen once again, and whilst they remain the chaser at this point, they can, injuries notwithstanding, once again put almost intolerable pressure on the Cityzens from first until last in 2024/25.

Guardiola’s side broke another record last season when they won their fourth Premier League title in a row, and their sixth in seven years.

Arsenal looking at ‘Plan B’ Leroy Sane

Only Liverpool have stopped them having a clean sweep since 2018, and that’s the task set before Arteta. It really would be something if City were able to win five in a row too, a record that’s likely to never be beaten.

In any event, it’s well known that Arsenal are battling with Barcelona to try and land Athletic Club’s brilliant winger, Nico Williams.

At present it’s believed that the Catalan club might well have the edge in those negotiations, and so, as Football Transfers report, the Gunners could be turning their attentions to Bayern Munich’s former Man City flyer, Leroy Sane.

Leroy Sane could be making a summer move to Arsenal

Though he may only be considered as a ‘Plan B’ at this stage, the fact that Football Transfers suggest that he isn’t untouchable, even if Vincent Kompany isn’t actively looking to sell him, hints at Arsenal perhaps being successful with any enquiry.

No fee is mentioned, though Sane is approaching the final year of his contract and would be tempted by a move to the Emirates Stadium according to the report.

If the stars align, it’s a deal that makes perfect sense for all concerned.

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Rennes’ rejection of €35m Doue bid from Bundesliga giants could let in Tottenham

Jason Pettigrove — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 07:23:02 +0000

At just 19 years of age, Rennes starlet, Desire Doue, has piqued the interest of a number of clubs including Tottenham Hotspur.

Football.london note that both Manchester United and Arsenal have been monitoring the left winger, but that Spurs appear to be most interested in offering the youngster a Premier League berth.

He’s clearly not going to come cheap, however, as transfer expert and CaughtOffside columnist, Fabrizio Romano, has posted that Bundesliga giants, Bayern Munich, have already had a €35m offer turned down by the French club for their player.

?? Rennes have rejected Bayern first proposal for Desiré Doué worth over €35m package, as revealed by @B_Quarez.

No agreement on the fee while Bayern keep waiting for Xavi Simons decision on next club. pic.twitter.com/E1f2FuswXt

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 12, 2024

Doue managed four goals and four assists in his 40 games last season per WhoScored, which don’t appear to be great numbers on the face of it.

However, potential suitors clearly see something in the teen that they can work with and given that he has years before he reaches his supposed peak as a player, there’s clear room for improvement.

Tottenham need to move quickly for Doue

Rennes appear minded not to make a transfer easy for any club, so from Ange Postecoglou and Daniel Levy’s point of view, they need to decide whether they feel they’re making a punt or if they believe Doue has what it takes to go right to the very top.

If he fulfils his obvious potential then Spurs will arguably be bagging themselves a bargain, though Levy has shown in the past that he’s not a man who’s normally willing to take a gamble.

As of this moment, the North Londoners have kept their own counsel and a bid hasn’t been forthcoming.

Given the rejection of Bayern’s bid, however, that could spur Tottenham into action.

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Jury is still out on Vincent Kompany says German football expert

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 09:33:31 +0000

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.

Vincent Kompany signs his Bayern Munich contract.

“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.”

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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68,000 Bayern Munich fans sign petition to keep Man United target Matthijs de Ligt at the club

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 08:58:53 +0000

If Matthijs de Ligt was in any doubt whatsoever as to how much he was wanted by Bayern Munich’s fan base, the Man United target has received an emphatic response.

At the last count, some 68,000 Bayern fans had signed a petition to keep him at the club according to German football expert, Christian Falk, writing in his exclusive column for CaughtOffside.

It would appear to be a foregone conclusion that the Dutch warrior will soon be signing on the dotted line to complete a move to Old Trafford, however, and ensure a reunion with his former Ajax manager, Erik ten Hag.

Matthijs de Ligt set to join Man United

“It’s true, there’s a petition to keep Matthijs de Ligt at Bayern, and many, many fans signed it already. At least 68,000 in fact. That shows you how important he is for Bayern and it’s a pity that Vincent Kompany doesn’t see it. I would sign the petition as well because I think the first step for a defender is to defend – and de Ligt is one of the best in Europe,” Falk noted.

“As you already saw, he’s very close now to Manchester United. A few months ago, when it wasn’t clear who the next coach would be, he told me that he wanted to stay at Bayern, but Erik ten Hag did a good job. He’s also shown the player what he wants to do with him so I think this will happen very soon because the clubs have now began to talk. Bayern want €50m plus add-ons, bringing the fee to nearer €60m. We will see if United wants to pay it because de Ligt has made it very clear that he only wants to go to United. I heard PSG were also interested but I don’t think this will happen.”

It isn’t just de Ligt that could be on the move either. Under new man in charge, Vincent Kompany, this really could be a summer of change for the Bavarians.

68,000 Bayern fans have signed a petition for Matthijs de Ligt to stay at the club

“Kingsley Coman is another player up for sale with PSG and a few other clubs interested in him. Bayern want €50m for him so let’s see where he will land. Leon Goretzka was told that he can leave the club but he’s made the decision that he wants to stay. Joshua Kimmich has a contract until 2025, so one year less than Goretzka. For him, the situation is easier because he can play this one more year and then leave for free,” Falk added.

“Bayern Munich pay him up till €20m a year but don’t want to give him as much money again. They want to get his salary down by at least 25%, perhaps even 50%, but that won’t be realistic. Kimmich is the only player too who is his own agent, he does all of the negotiations himself. It’s not so easy to do so with foreign clubs at the moment as that was the idea of Barcelona – to get him to join because of Hansi Flick. In one year, if he is a free agent, it’ll be really easy to get him.

“Serge Gnabry is on the list as well. Bayern want to sell him but it’s really hard because he’s earning so much and I think he only played in just 30% of the matches last year. They won’t get him away at the moment because there’s no club who will pay him the same salary and pay a transfer fee for a player who has been injured for virtually the whole season and didn’t play in the European Championship.

“Alphonso Davies is a real problem for Bayern Munich. They’ve bought Ito from Stuttgart to put a little bit of pressure on him because he didn’t sign a new contract.

“They were really close to signing but Bayern’s supervisory board kept saying no, that the terms were too much. The agents changed things and it was the same story, so they were really angry having to go back to Canada with no agreement.”

After what can only be said to have been an awful season under Thomas Tuchel, Bayern’s board will be expecting Kompany to restore the club to their rightful place at the summit of German football.

For a manager with big ideas but who was sixth choice for the Bayern job and got his last club relegated, it’s a huge risk for all concerned.

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Bayern Munich pushing hard to land major Arsenal target

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 07:30:19 +0000

Arsenal are expected to be active in the summer transfer market as Mikel Arteta looks to land a player or two that will help get them over the line in the race for the Premier League title.

Man City have been the team to beat over the past few seasons, with only Liverpool’s long-overdue title win in 2020 stopping Pep Guardiola’s swashbucklers from winning an incredible seven English top-flight titles in a row.

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Their current run of four title wins in succession is an all-time record, but Arteta and his squad will want to ensure that they don’t increase it to five.

In order to be able to do that, they need to land the players that the manager requests, so the Spaniard will arguably be disappointed that he’s set to lose out on one of the Gunners major summer targets.

Arsenal want Xavi Simons but Bayern are muscling in

According to Just Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Netherlands midfielder, Xavi Simons, scorer of one of Euro 2024’s best goals in the semi-final against England, remains a player that the North Londoners want to sign.

However, Sky Sports are reporting that Bayern Munich also want to sign the 21-year-old, who spent last season in the Bundesliga on loan at RB Leipzig.

It seems clear that Simons won’t be staying at PSG so the race is wide open for the time being.

Arsenal’s style of play would certainly suit the player, though Vincent Kompany is also known to be a fan of a front-foot attacking style, so the player may prefer to be part of the Belgian’s emerging project in Bavaria.

All the while Simons hasn’t put pen to paper Arsenal are in with a chance, but they’ll need to move quickly in order to keep Bayern at bay.

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Bayern Munich set to complete transfer of incredible €50m midfielder

Jason Pettigrove — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 10:36:12 +0000

After securing the services of Michael Olise from Crystal Palace, Vincent Kompany is seemingly wasting no time in beefing up his Bayern Munich squad.

According to CaughtOffside columnist and transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, Fulham’s Joao Palhinha will put pen to paper on a €50m transfer to the Bavarian giants on Wednesday.

??? João Palhinha has already completed his medical as new Bayern player, contract until June 2028 to be signed today in Munich.

Fulham will receive fee in the region of €50m plus add-ons.

Here we go, confirmed. ? pic.twitter.com/BsZd2sInws

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 10, 2024

It’s no doubt been a long 12 months for the brilliant midfielder, after a move to Bayern collapsed on Deadline Day last summer.

However, all good things come to those who wait, and despite the change of manager, there’s been no change in Bayern’s desire to land the 29-year-old Portuguese.

Romano states that the player has already completed his medical with his new club so it’s just the formality of contract signing that is left to be sorted out.

Joao Palhinha will put pen to paper on Bayern deal on Wednesday

After losing Tosin Adarabioyo this summer too, Fulham need to work hard and fast to replace two of their best players in 2023/24.

Marco Silva will want the Cottagers to remain competitive and not become one of those teams that start the inevitable slide towards the relegation places after losing their best players.

Craven Cottage has been redeveloped to a high standard and with a view to Fulham remaining as a Premier League club.

It isn’t clear at this stage who Fulham might be looking at to replace the duo, however, having not drawn out negotiations, it’s given them more than enough time in the transfer window to bring in the right players.

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Exclusive: Man United waiting in the wings as de Ligt makes his intentions clear

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 08:57:30 +0000

It’s an important summer for Bayern Munich’s Dutch defensive stalwart, Matthijs de Ligt.

Ever since leaving Ajax, where he was under the management of Erik ten Hag, the centre-back has struggled to replicated his best form.

His moves to both Juventus and Bayern Munich haven’t really worked out as he might’ve liked and a summer switch from the Bavarians now seems likely.

Though there are thought to be a few clubs interested in his services, there’s only one club that the 24-year-old is interested in joining.

De Ligt only wants Man United move

“With Matthijs de Ligt, contact between Manchester United and Bayern continues,” Fabrizio Romano said to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing.

“Bayern want to sign Jonathan Tah and they’re very confident, so will keep discussing the structure of the de Ligt deal with United.

“I’m told the only club with the authorisation from the player to negotiate with his agent is Manchester United. That is the intention of Matthijs de Ligt.

Matthijs de Ligt could be a very good signing for Man United.

“Finally, after difficulties for a fantastic defender, he could be back working for a manager who trusts him.”

Though a deal is far from being concluded, the fact that Man United are already talking to Bayern suggests that there’s a willingness on all sides to get a deal done.

The Red Devils woes in central defence have been well documented, and were de Ligt to be unveiled at Old Trafford at some point soon, that’s likely to spell the end of Harry Maguire’s career at the club.

De Ligt is a real warrior, a proper old school defender, and if ten Hag can get him playing as he did at Ajax, where he was handed the captaincy at just 19 years of age, Man United fans are in for a treat.

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Bayern ready to unsettle Chelsea with talks already having taken place for incredible talent

Jason Pettigrove — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 06:21:00 +0000

Under Todd Boehly, Chelsea seemingly have been the masters of their own destiny in terms of conducting business in the transfer market.

Say what you like about the American billionaire, but he knows how to close a deal.

His way of working too – buying players then tying them to much longer contracts than has previously been considered the norm – has changed the way the transfer market works in this country.

It’s fair to say that he has been ruthless as far as both managers and players are concerned too, even to the extent where captain, Conor Gallagher, still isn’t safe from being sold, even if the will of the player is believed to be that he prefers to stay at Stamford Bridge.

One player that has appeared to be untouchable, even under Boehly’s regime, is international class centre-back, Levi Colwill.

Still only 21 years of age, the defender managed 35 games in all competitions for the Blues last season, per WhoScored, however, according to transfermarkt, he still missed 15 because of a variety of injury concerns.

Bayern Munich want Chelsea’s Levi Colwill

Unless Boehly is in dire need of the money, there seems little point in selling a player whom he only handed a six-year contract to a year ago upon completion of his loan move to Brighton and Hove Albion.

That said, Sky Sports Germany reporter, Florian Plettenberg, has posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Bavarian giants, Bayern Munich have already had talks with the player.

??? Exclusive | FC Bayern is seriously considering a transfer of Levi #Colwill!

The 21 y/o center-back from FC Chelsea has been on Bayern‘s list for a long time / #CFC

If a move from Jonathan Tah doesn't work out, Colwill is the top alternative for Bayern. It's also… pic.twitter.com/Mu40EptVBA

— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) June 10, 2024

Although he’s only being seen as a potential back up option if a move for Jonathan Tah fails to materialise, the fact that the Bundesliga outfit are already circling could be a worry for Enzo Maresca, who will surely be counting on the England international for 2024/25.

There’s plenty of time before the start of the season of course, and it remains to be seen if Bayern have the appropriate pull for the youngster.

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Tottenham tussling with Bayern for brilliant winger with €23.5m release clause

Jason Pettigrove — Sat, 08 Jun 2024 08:59:20 +0000

Ange Postecoglou has a lot to ponder in terms of transfer business at Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

After a brilliant start to his first campaign in the Premier League, the North Londoners tailed off towards the end of the season.

The Australian was the first to note that things need to change around the place, though he appeared to stop short at the time of saying exactly what that meant.

Tottenham trying to land Chris Fuhrich

Arguably, as with many clubs, the Lilywhites will need a reshuffle of their first-team squad, in order to breath new life into it and hopefully encourage competition for places to return.

Getting in the right blend of players is often a thankless task, and managers live or die by those decisions.

One who Tottenham apparently have their eye on this summer according to a post from Christian Falk on X (formerly Twitter) is Stuttgart’s highly-rated winger, Chris Fuhrich.

? Bayern & Tottenham @SpursOfficial are fighting for Chris Führich (26) @VfB
?? The winger has a release clause of €23,5 Mio
? More Details & News about Transfers also of Arsenal, Chelsea & Co in the New Episode of my Podcast „FC Bayern Insider“. Listen:…

— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) June 7, 2024

The 26-year-old has a reasonable release clause of just €23.5m, and with nine goals and seven assists from a wide position last season, per WhoScored, it’s obvious why the North Londoners would be interested.

With Vincent Kompany having just taken over in the dugout at Bayern, however, the chance to be part of the Belgian’s revolution at arguably the most storied club in the Bundesliga could be difficult to turn down.

One of the issues that Postecoglou may also find is that players won’t move to Tottenham because they can’t offer Champions League football next season.

That run of poor results just towards the end of last season, where Spurs won only two of their last seven games, losing the other five, came back to bite them in the end.

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