The Bayern Insider: Xavi Simons transfer revisited as Liverpool threaten Gordon swoop

The infamous Bayern cockatoo

There is a restaurant in Munich, Käfer, that’s very famous for secret meetings between the Bayern bosses. It was the same place where Bayern celebrated their first Bundesliga title under Vincent Kompany, and, of course, the first league title for Harry Kane. I think the Englishman was a little drunk, and that was okay this evening! The party was really good, and afterwards, the restaurant discovered that they were missing a cockatoo. This is the same cockatoo! Okay, the Bayern players did steal it, but it was fine! The boss of the restaurant said they could keep him. This cockatoo is now always with the team for the important occasions.

It’s long been a secret where they’re hiding it, and now we know it’s in the manager’s room. Aaron Danks is the man you’ll see on the sideline in Paris, as Vincent Kompany will be serving a touchline ban for the first leg after having picked up a third yellow card. He’s the man who’s looking after the cockatoo in secret. The cockatoo is now getting fan mail, such is his importance to the team.

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Vincent Kompany’s status amongst the Bayern greats

Winning the treble would be a huge thing, naturally, for Vincent Kompany. It was really surprising when Hansi Flick achieved this, as he had been previously serving as the assistant to Niko Kovač. They were lying in second place in the league at the time Flick took over, and then they were winning everything. Kompany would be another special case, as he’s such a young head coach, not to mention he was the seventh-choice on the managerial shortlist when FC Bayern were looking to replace Thomas Tuchel.

Now, he’s doing such a brilliant job, so it’s no surprise that the Belgian’s old club, Manchester City, still have him on the list for when Pep Guardiola heads off. There’s still a bit of fear in the club that if he’s winning everything, Man City will try to persuade him to trade Munich for Manchester. However, I was talking with the CEO of Bayern Munich, Jan-Christian Dreesen, and he said there was no chance of Kompany leaving this summer. He’s 100% certain that the former Burnley boss will stay for the foreseeable future. If Vincent Kompany signs a contract, it means he’s thought about his future long and hard, so Bayern Munich won’t sanction his exit. In the meantime, they hope Kompany doesn’t have any plans to leave the club, as if he ends up winning everything, there’s an argument to be made that he’s the best coach in Europe.

Manuel Neuer could stay at Bayern for another year

✅ **It is TRUE: Manuel Neuer is currently leaning towards signing a contract extension with Bayern Munich.**This is what we’ve heard internally inside the club. Everyone is really positive that the 40-year-old will sign a one-year contract extension. He also spoke after the semi-final with Bayer Leverkusen, mentioning that he doesn’t want to announce anything just yet, but perhaps he has a good feeling for the next season. That means a lot when Neuer says something like this, because he normally keeps quiet on such topics. Now, everybody is hoping that he’ll join Bayern Munich for another season. This is, from what I’ve heard, one of the arguments for not playing in the upcoming World Cup, as Manuel Neuer knows he’s 40 years of age, so his body needs a bit of rest in the summer. If he were to feature in the tournament, it would be very difficult to then be fit for the entirety of the 2026/27 season.

Are Bayern interested in Bart Verbruggen?

❌ **It is****NOT TRUE: Bart Verbruggen’s name is on Bayern Munich’s radar.**Bayern Munich have a list of goalkeepers they’re keeping an eye on, including the likes of Marvin Schwäbe (FC Köln) and Daniel Heuer Fernandes (Hamburg SV). But, of course, they’re searching for a name who could play behind Jonas Urbig, should Neuer call time on his Bayern career this summer. Not a new No.1. Now, if it seems like Manuel Neuer is staying, they don’t need a new No.1 or No.2. You know that Verbruggen will want regular minutes, so it’s just not a topic within the club to bring in such a ‘keeper.

There were also rumours that Brighton & Hove Albion wanted to sign Alexander Nübel. He’s on loan at VfB Stuttgart and is the No.2 ‘keeper for the German national team. I can say that there was no request to Stuttgart or Nübel from Brighton at the present time.

Xavi Simons is a tempting option depending on Tottenham’s Premier League stats

It’s a question worth asking in terms of whether someone like Xavi Simons would appeal if Tottenham were to be relegated this season. Vincent Kompany and Max Eberl both like the player. However, he was simply too expensive to sign from RB Leipzig last summer. Uli Hoeneß, the former president of Bayern Munich (but still part of the supervisory board), shared a nice story about this particular topic. We knew Kompany paid a visit to Tegernsee (an hour away from Munich), where Hoeneß lives, along with Christoph Freund, the sporting director. They were asking permission to sign Simons. However, Uli Hoeneß simply said you can’t sign Simons, but you can have some apple pie!

This summer, we have to see! Xavi Simons has to be really cheap for Bayern to even consider it. In the meantime, there are a few other names on the shortlist that are more highly rated. Of course, if FC Bayern can’t sign their top options and Simons is affordable, then perhaps this could be an option. But not for the moment.

Bayern’s commitment to youth

Bayern have already seen that their commitment to youth last summer is already paying off – just look at Lennart Karl and Tom Bischof! Leon Goretzka will leave the club this summer and there are many names being mentioned around the midfield. The first option Bayern want to test is Noël Aséko (20) who’s currently on loan with Hannover. He will come back to FC Bayern and then they’ll test him in the summer to see if he’s good enough to be involved with the squad. If he’s good enough – they don’t need to buy anyone!

There’s still one other big talent on the list and that’s Kennet Eichhorn. We know that many English clubs are following him. He could also be a player that fits Bayern’s plan, and he’s got a release clause of about €10m-12m [£8.6m-10.4m] with Hertha BSC. So, he’s really cheap. It would also enable Bayern’s plan with young players.

Newcastle United join Kennet Eichhorn race

I heard that Kennet Eichhorn and his family are discussing his future in football. At the moment, the feeling is that the priority is to stay in the Bundesliga to make the next step. That’s despite interest from Arsenal, Manchester City and Newcastle. But there’s also the question of what exactly the next step looks like. It’s not just about which team can offer him the most money, but rather who can offer Eichhorn playing time. This will be a key point. There are some rules in England that mean it’s not so easy to obtain a work permit for a 16-year-old player, so this could be a difficulty for Premier League clubs.

Pape Matar Sarr of interest to Bayern Munich?

❌ **It is****NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich could pursue Pape Matar Sarr this summer.**I don’t think he’s particularly highly rated at FC Bayern. They have many options in midfield already between Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlović, and Tom Bischof. Konrad Laimer can also play this position if Bayern end up signing Givairo Read at right-back ahead of Man City, who are also interested in him. They have plans for the midfield, which is why they want to spend some money – but not too much.

Potential Bayern summer exits

The likes of Noël Aséko, Bara Ndiaye and Hiroki Itō are good enough for Bayern Munich. However, if there is an offer from the Premier League where Bayern can earn a healthy profit, the club would discuss this. That’s because Bayern need money to reinvest in the squad. If there is concrete interest, there’s a door that can open.

At the moment, I can say that Kim Min-jae doesn’t want a transfer. The South Korean international is, of course, a player who could return a healthy fee after they initially invested €50m [£43.3m] in him. I understand that if Kim comes to the club and asks for a move due to a lack of minutes, they would be prepared to make a sale. But he’s yet to make such a request. He’s feeling very confident at Bayern Munich. There were rumours about Galatasaray and Beşiktaş, but no talks. So it seems that, at the moment, Kim will stay. He’s a great option, a very good defender, if one of Dayot Upamecano or Jonathan Tah needs a rest or suffers an injury. I don’t think Bayern will look to sell both Itō and Kim Min-jae.

Bayern back in for Rafael Leão?

**❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern have approached Rafael Leão in the hopes of bolstering their forward line this summer.**It’s true that there were talks last summer. Max Eberl held talks, and there were ideas within the supervisory board to bring this player in. But there were also some concerns over the kind of impact Leão would have on the dressing room. They came to the conclusion that the Portugal international perhaps wouldn’t be fantastic for the team spirit. So, this summer, Bayern Munich won’t go for Rafael Leão, even though his own club wants to sell him.

Vincent Kompany gives seal of approval to Anthony Gordon deal?

✅ It is TRUE: Anthony Gordon is highly-rated on Bayern’s shortlist. Now, there will be talks about money, so it’s very concrete! Gordon signalled that he could make a move to the Bundesliga, so I think perhaps this is partly Harry Kane’s doing. Normally, English national players rarely come to the German top-flight. That all said, the transfer fee Newcastle end up demanding for the winger could harm Bayern’s hopes of signing Anthony Gordon. There were many rumours of an €80m [£69.3m] fee. The Times now suggest it’s actually closer to €75m [£65m]. I think this would be too expensive for Bayern Munich.

Of course, there’s always the possibility that if Anthony Gordon pushes for a move to Bayern and Bayern only, then perhaps Newcastle could be encouraged to lower the asking price. As things stand, Bayern Munich are in a good place with Luis Diaz, Harry Kane and Michael Olise, and with Jamal Musiala behind them. These are all positions Gordon can play, although he would be another option, so spending too much money would be difficult for FC Bayern.

It’s true that Gordon’s prior relationship with, and affinity for, Liverpool Football Club could be a problem for Bayern Munich. Liverpool are still one of the top clubs in Europe and they have a lot of money to spend. By contrast, Bayern don’t want to spend so much money this summer. If they can’t get an agreement with Newcastle and Liverpool are able to put more money on the table than Bayern Munich, then you can understand why the Magpies would argue they shouldn’t sell Gordon cheaply to Munich when they can get more money from Liverpool. This could be a problem.

Bayern’s plan if Gordon transfer doesn’t work out

The other option for Bayern Munich – should a move for Gordon not pan out – is to commit to just signing an out-and-out left winger. Bayern are also searching for just a backup left winger to Luis Diaz and a striker. Both, of course, would then need to be cheaper. With Anthony Gordon, you’re getting an option for both positions, but he’s more expensive! Alternatively, you’re signing two players you have to develop, rather than something more closely resembling a finished product.

Could Brian Brobbey head to Munich this summer?

❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich have taken a liking to Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey. He’s not highly rated on Bayern’s shortlist. The rumours have probably arisen due to his prior relationship with Max Eberl during the 52-year-old’s time as the managing director of sport at RB Leipzig, when Brobbey was playing there. However, Leipzig ended up loaning the Dutchman to Ajax and then later selling him. So, there’s no strong connection, and he’s not on the list of Bayern Munich at the moment.