Bavarian Football Works

Bayern Munich need the funds, and it looks like Tottenham Hotspur might be willing to make the Bavarian dream come true.

According to journalist Alasdair Gold from Football London, via @iMiaSanMia, João Palhinha is among the candidates Spurs are looking at for the defensive midfield position. However, there is a catch — Tottenham would need to sell someone in that position before pushing for Palhinha.

Here is why this move would make sense, though.

Reportedly, Spurs manager Thomas Frank views the Portuguese star as his ideal number six. Considering the disappointing season Yves Bissouma had, Palhinha is seen as the perfect candidate. The Bavarians too are willing to let Palhinha go — he has not met their expectations taking into consideration the amount of money that went into bringing him in from Fulham.

Additionally, he has mostly remained on the bench, behind regular starters Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlović, and Leon Goretzka. His adductor tear left him sidelined for months together, which also contributed to fewer minutes. Bayern’s willingness to take a lower amount — reportedly as little as €25–30 million — also could make him a financially sound option for the North London side.

Now, all Spurs have to do is sell someone...

Bayern Munich defensive midfielder João Palhinha has been rumored to be up for sale all summer, but there has not been a lot of serious interest.

Per a report from GiveMeSport, though, Tottenham Hotspur has stepped to the plate, but could be deterred because Bayern Munich will — allegedly — only consider a full transfer and not a loan:

Tottenham Hotspur have been warned that they will only be able to sign Joao Palhinha if they make a permanent offer as Bayern Munich are unwilling to entertain loan proposals for the Hotspur Way target ahead of the summer transfer window slamming shut, GIVEMESPORT sources have revealed.

Tottenham have discovered the terms required to strike a deal for Palhinha, according to GMS sources, after discussions with Bayern Munich have resulted in it becoming clear that they will only stand a chance of securing his services if they are prepared to put a big-money bid on the table in the coming weeks.

GMS sources have been informed that Frank has pinpointed Palhinha as a target after seeing him struggle to break into the forefront of Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany’s plans during the 2024/25 campaign, leading to Tottenham holding talks over what it would take to reach an agreement.

Palhinha has little to no prospect of playing time in Bavaria this season, but Bayern Munich seems to have little interest in taking too big of a hit on the €51 million it spent to get the midfielder just last summer.

Will Tottenham — or any club — lock in to submit a real offer?

After crashing out of the FIFA Club World Cup following a 2-0 loss against eventual finalists Paris Saint Germain, Bayern Munich earned themselves a respite before their preseason kicks off.

According to @iMiaSanMia, Bayern’s summer schedule officially gets underway on the 28th of July with the opening fixture taking place at the Allianz Arena on the 2nd of August against an Olympique Lyon side drowning in controversy after being momentarily relegated to Ligue 2:

Bayern’s summer schedule:

• 28 July: start of pre-season

• 2 August: friendly against Lyon (H)

• 7 August: friendly against Tottenham (H)

• 12 August: friendly against Grasshopper Zürich (A)

• 16 August: Franz Beckenbauer Supercup against Stuttgart (A)

• 22 August: Bundesliga MD1 against RB Leipzig (H)

• 23 August: friendly against fan club “Red Eagles Austria”

• 27 August: DFB Pokal first round against Wehen Wiesbaden (A)

As a Bayern fan it is jarring that preseason starts in just under two weeks and the club is yet to make any additional signings despite the transfer window being open from the start of July as well as for the first ten days of June.

Of course, the transfer window runs until the 1st of September. This gives Bayern ample time to add reinforcements, especially to the attack. However, the importance of having new signings ready and available for preseason cannot be understated. After all, a prepared team is a stronger team that is able to start the season on the front foot.

As it stands, Bayern are very much set to start the season on the back foot following what quite frankly has been an extremely concerning display in the transfer market thus far.

Bayern Munich midfielder João Palhinha has been rumored to be for sale and it looks like Tottenham Hotspur could be seeking to take advantage of that status per GiveMeSport journalists Danny Rust and Dean Jones:

Tottenham Hotspur have put out feelers in a bid to gauge whether it will be possible to negotiate a deal which would see Bayern Munich star João Palhinha become another big-name addition to head coach Thomas Frank’s options at Hotspur Way, GIVEMESPORT sources have revealed.

Tottenham have made contact to sign Palhinha, according to GMS sources, as Europa League glory resulted in the north Londoners turning their attention towards more ambitious targets after initially looking to land Real Betis’ Johnny Cardoso or new Marseille man Angel Gomes when he was preparing to leave Lille at the end of his contract.

Could this be the type of situation that Palhinha would consider leaving Bayern Munich for?

Palhinha’s prospects for playing time with Bayern Munich are very slim at the moment, but he has openly talked about his desire to stay in Germany.

Maybe, Tottenham would give him the kind of fresh start that would be appealing.

Looking for a discussion on whether or not Bayern Munich is equipped with the necessary leadership for the upcoming season? What about some talk on the recent updates surrounding Bayern Munich’s rumored interest in Liverpool’s Luis Diaz and VfB Stuttgart’s Nick Woltemade? Awesome, then we have you covered with the latest edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show! You can get the podcast on Patreon, Acast, Spotify, any leading podcast distributor, or below:

After much speculation, Bayern Munich has sold Mathys Tel to Tottenham Hotspur to complete a move that has been anticipated for months.

Bayern Munich released the news on its club website:

Mathys Tel has completed a permanent move from FC Bayern to Tottenham Hotspur. The 20-year-old forward spent the second half of last season on loan at the Premier League club, with whom he won the Europa League. His contract at FC Bayern was set to run until 30 June 2029.

Tel moved to Munich from Stade Rennes at the age of 17 ahead of the 2022/23 season. He made 83 appearances in all competitions for FC Bayern, scoring 16 goals and winning two Bundesliga titles. During his time with the Reds, he also became a French U21 international and is currently in action at the U21 Euro in Slovakia with Les Bleuets.

Bayern Munich board member for sport Max Eberl thanked Tel for his time at the club.

“Mathys Tel came to FC Bayern as a very young player and mastered his first steps at the top level of European football here. He was a popular figure in the squad, who always gave his all for the club and the team,” said Eberl. “The move to Tottenham has turned out to be the right one for his development. He’ll now continue this journey with Spurs. We thank him for his commitment in the FC Bayern shirt and wish him all the best for his future. Merci, Mathys!”

It is understood that the agreement between Bayern and Tottenham will be for around €35 million along with the €10 million that Bayern will have received from Tel’s loan spell that lasted for the second half of the 2024/25 season.

This is one of a series of moves that Bayern Munich is expected to make this summer to generate funds to use in July.

Looking for a breakdown on Bayern Munich’s first match in the Club World Cup vs. Auckland City FC? Awesome, then we have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show. We’ll cover Bayern Munich’s traveling squad, some talk over the squad dynamics and storyline, a projected lineup, a prediction on the match, and MORE! You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, Acast, most other leading podcast distributors, or below:

According to a report from Tobi Altschäffl (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern Munich star Leroy Sané is not interested in a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, but would consider a move to Arsenal FC.

The problem? No offers have been received from Arsenal — just Saudi Arabia and Galatasaray:

Leroy Sané is not interested in a move to Tottenham. Arsenal would be his favourite destination in England. As of now, the most concrete offers are from Saudi Arabia and Galatasaray. Sané has intensively considered a potential move to Galatasaray.

Per Altschäffl, Sané still wants to stay at Bayern Munich, but the current proposal from the Bavarians remains an issue. However, if a deal does get worked out between Sané and Bayern Munich, the club would end its search for a new left wing:

The player would ideally prefer to stay at Bayern, but he’s still unwilling to accept the offer at the table. From Bayern’s perspective, the door is still open - as long as he didn’t receive a better offer, he can sign the extension. If Sané ends up extending, there would be no urgent need for a big name signing on the wing.

In honor of Bayern Munich potentially having the same left wings next season, we’re just going to play a subpar Mötley Crüe tune from 1989 — “Same Old Situation” — which is not remotely a top-end Crüe song, but just seemed fitting...

Want some more Bayern Munich and German national team chatter? Awesome, because the Bavarian Podcast Works Show is here to fill that void for you. We’ve got a some thoughts on Leon Goretzka role with Germany, Julian Nagelsmann’s internal debate about potentially taking the Bayern Munich job last summer. We also discuss whether or not Rafael Leão, Cody Gakpo, Eberechi Eze, and Kaoru Mitoma are worthy left win targets and discuss why Timo Werner and Jadon Sancho should be cautionary tales for young footballers. You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, Acast, and below:

According to a report from Sport Bild journalist Christian Falk (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern Munich is willing to talk to Tottenham Hotspur regarding Mathys Tel and could even lessen the previously agreed upon release clause fee for the attacker.

The end could be near for Tel’s tenure in Bavaria:

Bayern are willing to renegotiate with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy for Mathys Tel’s departure. CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen has a good contact with Spurs and he will lead the talks. The German champions are willing to demand less than the agreed clause and could lower the asking price to £30m (€35m).

The schism between Bayern Munich and Tel is bizarre. Just a year ago, the Frenchman looked like a building block for the future, but by midseason, it was clear that he lacked a role for the Bavarians. Now, it seems like his future will be in London and a chance for a fresh start could await.

Looking for some thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich signing of Bayer Leverkusen center-back Jonathan Tah? What about a discussion on what is going on with Leroy Sané and how likely he is to join Arsenal FC or Tottenham Hotspur? FInally, we hit on the Champions League finale in Munich and how the trickle-down effect of bad decisions from the past few years cost Bayern Munich the chance to play for the UCL crown at home. You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, Acast or below:

In preparation of the 2024/25 Bundesliga-winning season, Bayern Munich traveled to Seoul, South Korea to battle Tottenham. One week later, Bayern met them again in London. Bayern won the friendly matches 2-1 and 3-2, respectively.

In his first match at Tottenham since leaving the club in 2023, Harry Kane received a standing ovation from the crowd.

In this year’s rematch against the reigning UEFA Europa League champions, Kane and company will look to impress the Bayern fans at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern will play Tottenham at the pre-season Telekom Cup on August 7 (18:30 CEST) at Allianz Arena

The Tottenham friendly will likely be Bayern’s final match ahead of the 2025 Franz Beckenbauer Supercup on August 16th against DFB-Pokal winner, Stuttgart.

Due to the early timing of the Club World Cup (June 14th-July 13th), Bayern’s veteran players will need to get creative about vacation plans to recharge mentally and physically but also be prepared for the season.

Just a few days before the January transfer window closed, Tottenham Hotspur made a blockbuster €60 million bid for Bayern Munich youngster Mathys Tel, one which the club accepted but the player did not. Tel did eventually move on to Tottenham a few days later, but only on loan, with the €60 million tied up in a potential buy option.

Now that the Lilywhites have seen the former Rennes in action, however, they are a lot less willing to splash the cash. Football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold (as captured by @iMiaSanMia) reports that the initial price tag is now far too much for the Europa League winners:

Tottenham would prefer to keep Mathys Tel, but at nowhere near the figures initially being quoted. Either they get the price tag knocked right down or they agree a deal to take him on loan again or they simply switch to other targets.

On one hand, it seems that Bayern had truly divorced from the idea of retaining Tel with a really messy break up at the end of January. This does not give Bayern a lot of leverage in potential negotiations and that could help Spurs knock down the price.

On the other hand, a lot of teams registered interest in Tel in January and the Bavarians might get more money for the 20-year-old forward. In fact, considering there is no more desperate need to sell in order to buy Florian Wirtz, Bayern could be tempted to re-integrate the youngster into the squad after all. That could rather hurt Tottenham’s negotiating position. In fact, given the fact that they will be competing in the Champions League next season, it will be even harder for the club to cry poor.

As always, negotiating with Tottenham Hotspur CEO Daniel Levy is never easy and will take a lot of time. We will see how things progress from here.

Things have been relatively silent between Bayern Munich and Leroy Sané for a couple of weeks now, but the situation could be heating up for the winger.

Tottenham Hotspur has emerged as a candidate for Sané and, now, Napoli could be thrusting itself into the mix per La Gazzetta dello Sport reporter Gianluca Monti (vai @iMiaSanMia):

Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis is using a potential signing of Leroy Sané as an argument to convince Antonio Conte to stay at the club. Negotiations between Napoli and Sané are underway and the ‘story is hot.’

According to Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg, Sané’s agent, Pini Zahavi is in meetings with the Bavarians today:

EXCL | Pini #Zahavi, now in Munich and meeting with the Bayern bosses! Main topic: Leroy #Sané!

Extend or leave? Today will be decisive. Zahavi will speak with Max Eberl and Co. while, at the same time, his other client Jonathan Tah undergoes his medical with Bayern.

Bayern remain open to extending Sané’s contract until 2028. It’s possible that the current offer will be adjusted — more fixed, less variable. Sané has not yet made a decision. Everything remains open.

Sky Sport journalist Kerry Hau caught footage of Zahavi in Munich:

Meeting with FC Bayern – for crucial talks about Leroy Sané’s future! Pini Zahavi is in Munich. @SkySportDE @SkySportNews

Things could happen quickly from here as surely Sané wants to start to solidify his plans for next season.

Looking for some final thoughts on the Florian Wirtz saga? What about a conversation with one of our BPW staffers who actually spoke to Wirtz? We have all of that, plus some thoughts on if — or maybe when — Bayern Munich should make a move for VfB Stuttgart attacker Nick Woltemade on the Bavarian Podcast Works Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below: