The Bayern Insider: Rodri “contact” addressed as Morgan Gibbs-White named as Olise “replacement”
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Welcome to today’s exclusive & comprehensive round-up of all things Bayern Munich from Bayern insider Christian Falk. Featuring updates on Rodri, Morgan Gibbs-White, Max Eberl, and Pedro Porro.
Today’s top stories
- Did Bayern Munich really contact Rodri over a summer transfer?
- Could Morgan Gibbs-White be the next great Bayern signing?
- Is Max Eberl’s future at FC Bayern safe?
- And plenty more on Finn Jeltsch, João Palhinha, Emile Witbooi & Maycon Cardozo
I heard it would be a very important thing for Harry Kane to win this year’s Ballon d’Or. It would also be very important for Bayern Munich, because it would show that the club can be anything for any player and that the Bundesliga is not just a “farmer’s league”; the best players can play in the German top-flight. For Kane, of course, it would be important after England’s disappointing exit from the World Cup. He won the golden boot this season, the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal, so he has a very good chance. I had a look at the bookies and they have very good odds on Harry Kane. But he has, of course, competition; there’s Kylian Mbappe who scored 10 goals, Lionel Messi (who’s already a big name) with eight goals in the World Cup, and don’t forget the world champions with Rodri and Lamine Yamal, not to mention Ousmane Dembele from PSG who helped them win the Champions League. So, it’s getting difficult for Harry Kane.
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Ultimately, Kane winning the Ballon d’Or would also be beneficial for Bayern’s negotiations with Michael Olise, as it proves to the Frenchman that he can achieve anything he wants with the Bavarian giants. So, perhaps he doesn’t need to have his head turned by Real Madrid or other European heavyweights. Bayern Munich are looking at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, and it’s in London on October 26 – so, a home advantage for Harry Kane.
Is Max Eberl’s job at Bayern Munich safe?
✅ It is TRUE: Bayern are satisfied with Max Eberl’s work this summer. If you cast your mind back to the cup final in Berlin, Uli Hoeneß gave an interview on the subject of Eberl’s future – which will be decided at the end of August when the supervisory board has their planned meeting – where he admitted that the chances of Max Eberl staying were 60-40%. But now, at the Tegernsee where the training camp was held in pre-season, Hoeneß was asked again, and he said the chances are 100%. That means a lot, because the word of Uli Hoeneß on the supervisory board carries the most weight; everyone follows the opinion of Hoeneß.
Max Eberl got going early in the transfer window with the deals for Ismael Saibari and Nathaniel Brown. He always kept the supervisory board informed as to his work in the market, which is very important. But now, he has to show that he can sell players. There’s a bit of pressure on Eberl to do that, and he’s giving it to the players who Bayern are looking to sell: João Palhinha, Sacha Boey and Bryan Zaragoza. He’s putting pressure on them to leave the club, and now he has to show the supervisory board that he can also be a hardliner as a boss.
Bayern Munich make contact with Rodri?
❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich made contact with Rodri earlier in the summer transfer window. I was in talks with the Bayern bosses and they said no – there were no negotiations. They didn’t knock on the door of Rodri’s camp. He’s a very interesting player, but they don’t need him in the position. He’s also still very expensive, by the way, with Manchester City looking for €75m [£64.2m]. At the moment, Real Madrid are bidding at about €60m [£51.4m]. I think a return to the Spanish top-flight is the likely route Rodri will take. Of course, there was interest from Bayern previously – but it was a long time ago in 2019. However, there was no money left to get him, and FC Bayern instead moved for Lucas Hernández. There were secret meetings with Atletico Madrid (at the time of Bayern’s interest in Rodri). So, it’s very hard for Bayern that they passed up on this big transfer at the time. However, it’s simply not possible for them to engage with this summer.
Have Bayern identified Morgan Gibbs-White as a potential Michael Olise replacement?
❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern are looking at Morgan Gibbs-White as a potential Michael Olise replacement if the Frenchman signs for Real Madrid. In midfield, Bayern Munich has many good players in this position, including Joshua Kimmich and Lennart Karl, and then you have up-and-coming stars like Tomas Bischof, who is putting pressure on more established stars like Aleksandar Pavlović. Konrad Laimer can also play there. Then, when it comes to the wings, Bayern can call upon Luis Diaz and Lennart Karl. So, no, Bayern are not searching to bolster the position. The Daily Mail wrote that the Nottingham Forest man could be considered a potential replacement for Olise, but I just don’t see that. More to the point, Bayern Munich won’t sell Michael Olise this summer.
Could Pedro Porro be a future Bayern signing?
There are always rumours around Pedro Porro. We’ve often talked about him, but also in the past there was no secret meeting with the player or the agent. They are aware of the player; he has quality, and perhaps he could be an idea for the future. So it’s not a bad suggestion from Valérien Ismaël, but there isn’t a place in the squad for Porro at the moment.
Bayern identify Finn Jeltsch as a future target
Finn Jeltsch is a very interesting player for Bayern Munich. The player already knows that there is a kind of interest at the moment, but there has been no contact made with the agents or the defender at the moment. That’s because Bayern have enough in the way of players for the heart of the defence. Min-jae Kim told the press that he’s confident he’ll stay at Bayern Munich, and he’s confident with the role he’s playing. The South Korean international is the backup option at the moment, but he’s fully aware that things can quickly change with injuries. Normally, Jonathan Tah and Dayot Upamecano play in the first row. Of course, if he’s happy staying put, then you don’t really need another centre-back in the squad.
Jeltsch, for the future, has the potential to be an international player with the German squad. So, if a player like him is on the radar of the national team, then they’re automatically on the radar of Bayern Munich, as FC Bayern loves to keep top German nationals in their squad.
Are Newcastle in for João Palhinha?
It’s interesting that João Palhinha has also been linked with Newcastle at a time when they’re searching for a new midfielder. But the rumours coming out of Germany, at the moment, indicate the Magpies are actually looking at Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha. Bayern Munich would be happy if they got an offer from Newcastle. They are also set to face Aston Villa today, so perhaps there will be some contact over signing Palhinha in the window. But the club that is pushing the hardest at the moment is Benfica.
There’s a report from A Bola where they say Bayern Munich would be fine with €20m [£17.1m]. I heard that Bayern are still looking for €25m [£21.4m], but now I understand there is a new development: Benfica wants a decision very early, so they’ve set a Sunday deadline for Bayern Munich, where if they don’t agree a fee, they’ll search for a different player in Palhinha’s position. So, now Bayern have to decide whether they’re waiting for an offer from Newcastle or Aston Villa, or whether they sell him to Benfica for €20m.
João Palhinha’s salary is also a problem. He’s earning €8.5m [£7.2m]. At Bayern Munich in can be €10m with add-ons. This is too much for Benfica, so they have to find a solution for that.
Konstantinos Karandrikas and Jae-won Heo join Bayern
Konstantinos Karandrikas and Jae-won Heo are absolutely exciting additions at FC Bayern. This is the new way of Bayern Munich; they want to make money from their young signings. Of course, if they make it to the senior squad, that’s the ideal outcome. But it’s also okay to develop these players and show other clubs that they have good talents. At the moment, they’re making a lot of money from their youth players. Nestory Irankunda, for instance, was sold to Watford for €3m [£2.5m], having bought him in 2024 for €1m [£856k].
At the moment, Sporting Lisbon is very interested in Irankunda, and they’re expected to pay a fee of €13m-14m. This is really interesting for Bayern Munich, because they have a sell-on clause that would enable them to take a percentage of this deal. Transfer insider Ekrem Konur claimed this sits at 40%, and it’s been reported elsewhere that it’s even higher (at 50%), so this would be a lot of money if the deal were to go through. The transfer could also go as high as €20m when add-ons are taken into consideration. So this would be a good deal for Bayern Munich.
Viewed from this lens, we have to see the signings of Karandrikas and Heo as a win-win situation. They can deliver from both a sporting and financial perspective.
Emile Witbooi invited for Bayern trial
It’s worth keeping an eye out for Emile Witbooi, because one of the last signings from Bayern Munich, Bara Sapoko Ndiaye, was from Gambino Stars. So, you see Bayern Munich are prepared to give such talents a chance, and it’s always good for FC Bayern if it works out. We have to keep an eye on this, as Bayern are always on the lookout for new strikers. They are, of course, committed to giving Harry Kane a new contract but they also always keep one eye on the future. Especially for when Kane retreats deeper on the pitch as he gets older.
They also have another exciting striker talent on the books in Bastian Assomo (16), who I’m sure Bayern fans will have noticed during the Asian tour. He scored in the friendlies against Wehen Wiesbaden and Jeju SK. So, keep an eye on the young talents coming through at Bayern Munich, as Vincent Kompany is giving them a chance.
Maycon Cardozo’s future this season
✅ It is TRUE: Maycon Cardozo (17) wants to fight for a space in Bayern’s senior squad. He’s doing very well at the moment, having also scored on the Asian tour. Now, Bayern Munich are thinking about keeping him around in Germany this coming season. The initial idea was to send Cardozo out on loan, or perhaps even sell him amid links to Manchester United. The Red Devils did watch him but didn’t get concrete with the player. Now, at the moment, Bayern do have some younger backups available to support the squad like Arijon Ibrahimović who’s doing really well. Of course, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a chance for Maycon Cardozo to also be a backup on this position in the midfield. At the moment, it’s looking good for the teenager.
Jonas Urbig’s minutes in 2026/27
There were a lot of talks inside the club, because Manuel Neuer’s going to leave at the end of the season. Now, they’ve established a sharing role in the goalkeeper position, with Jonas Urbig set to get more minutes than last season. Last term, he had 21 games played (across all competitions) for Bayern. Bayern Munich had a similar situation in the 2000s when Oliver Kahn, who was also considered a GOAT in the German goal, was heading out the exit door and Michael Rensing, his No.2, was pushed into the limelight. He started after Kahn had left, and it was just too much pressure to handle. Bayern Munich want to avoid this situation, which is why they’ve brought him in early and are giving him opportunities. The hope is that this season will further help him get used to the pressure, then in 2027 he could be the Bayern No.1. Don’t forget, he’ll also have a shot at being the No.1 goalkeeper for the German national team for the 2028 Euros.
A great future ahead. But he’s a really shy guy. We asked him about Neuer’s comments on his future, and he said the news was totally new to him – he wasn’t told by Neuer! Urbig said he’d keep an eye on what happens in the future and reiterated that Bayern have a great goalkeeper department. He’s a really, really quiet guy. But perhaps that’s good for him!