Christian Falk’s Fact Files – Klopp’s Bellingham intervention, Man Utd preparing €120m Bundesliga raid, Tottenham’s next manager & more | OneFootball

Today’s top stories:

[From left to right, Joško Gvardiol, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham… could we see some big deals completed this summer?]

Harry Kane

Tottenham are, of course, not very keen on selling their star striker but, also for Bayern, it could end up working out pretty well for them if they wait a year, Kane doesn’t sign a contract in the meantime and then they can snap him up for free in 2024.

Bayern aren’t quite sure if they can pay for Kane this summer and they have the new contract for Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting for one year, they have Mathys Tel… so they are keeping a close eye on what’s happening with Tottenham. Bayern can wait and it could be the perfect time to strike in 2024.

Bayern Munich

Bayern are trying to extend Benjamin Pavard’s contract. I talked to Benjamin this week and asked him if he sees a future in Bavaria. He said many words in French but after the translation there was no clear answer in terms of wanting to stay; he said “let us fight for the championship and win some titles and after then we can see”, so you see he’s playing for time.

I know Barcelona are still at the forefront of his mind, the links there are very concrete. Inter are still following him, of course, but they’re not the No.1 choice. Chelsea could be an option. So these are the potential options for Pavard and, at the moment, I’m not so sure he’ll sign a new contract.

Should clubs be careful before looking to sign Pavard? Jonathan Johnson explores the player’s situation in his CaughtOffside column!

JONATHAN JOHNSON’S FULL COLUMN

I talked with Julian Nagelsmann about João Cancelo and he said that the defender is doing well but he isn’t a player for his system, which involves three defenders behind two wing-backs. So that’s the problem.

If Pavard is fit, it’s getting difficult for Cancelo and time is slowly running out. It’s not a perfect situation for both sides and it’s worth considering that the clause of €70m is too high for Bayern Munich. I heard they’ve already informed the player and his management that they can’t pay this amount.

If there’s no truth in the interest of Real Madrid and no one is prepared to pay this clause, Bayern would surely sit at the table with Manchester City and discuss his contract but €70m just isn’t an option for them. Plus, at the moment, he’s not a regular in the first-XI.

[💬Where does João Cancelo’s future lie? Should another club try and sign him this summer? Let us know who in the comments! – (Photo by CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images)]

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Borussia Dortmund

No talks yet between Dortmund and Jude Bellingham, so I’m not sure if it’s the right time now ahead of the international break.

I heard that because of Liverpool’s experience in the Champions League this term, Jurgen Klopp made his thoughts very clear: Bellingham is now the top, top target. He said that every other transfer should be pushed down the pecking order; names like Randal Kolo Muani aren’t as important at the moment – there’s just one name and this is Bellingham.

Klopp needs him in the midfield, though they can see the difficulty in completing such a deal because Real Madrid are moving as well. But there is some good news for Liverpool, as Madrid are also interested in Joško Gvardiol and it’s not realistic for them to pay for both as Gvardiol would be an over €100m deal, as would Bellingham.

It’s a pity that Julian Brandt is injured at the moment because he’s been playing very well for Borussia Dortmund and now the national games have arrived. Of course, Dortmund heard about interest from the Premier League – especially Arsenal and Tottenham, we heard – and that’s why they’ve been putting pressure on the player; they want to have talks with him and his father to work out a new contract.

So you see, Dortmund are getting nervous because they know, in his head, the possibility of a Premier League move is being considered. Now, they’re pushing to get him signed up on a new contract. But Arsenal and Tottenham would be interesting for Julian.

Gregor Kobel is very important for Dortmund – they will do everything to stop an exit from the club. It’s true that his agents attended the Champions League game in London. We know that they had talks with several clubs in the Premier League, not only Chelsea.

So you see, there is special interest coming from the Premier League. But at the end, there must be some crazy figures being proposed to encourage Dortmund to sell him. He’s being regularly linked in rumours to Bayern Munich but it’s too early for him – no club will be able to easily sign him.

Gladbach

Manu Koné’s club, Gladbach, know that they will lose him this summer, unless something crazy happens. There are talks now between the sporting director, Roland Virkus, and Koné’s management, discussing how much would be on the table for selling him (crazy amounts like €40-50m).

[Kouadio ‘Manu’ Koné (right) in action for Gladbach – (Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images)]

PSG are interested. The player is French. We heard that Chelsea knocked on the door and have an interest in him. I don’t think he’s focused purely on one league, the most important thing for the player is focusing on the next step.

Inter Milan

There are always rumours around Marcus Thuram but he’s not doing so well in Germany, that’s why Bayern Munich said no. Chelsea aren’t so interested either.

The next step is Italy and you see it’s not the absolute top club in the country with the rumours around Inter Milan. I think the agents are ringing the doorbells of other clubs as he’s struggling at Gladbach. I think we’ll see him at a very good club next season because he’s a free agent.

Kylian Mbappe

Jonathan Johnson’s COS Column: If PSG were to change manager, Zidane is the obvious candidate and that would please Mbappe, I’m sure, he’s a French footballing legend. Still, I wouldn’t expect Mbappe to be close to a move this summer, because that’s just not something PSG will countenance.

JONATHAN JOHNSON’S FULL COLUMN

Manchester United

We heard that Manchester United is going to prepare a big offer for Randal Kolo Muani – specifically, €120m. That’s a price Frankfurt wouldn’t say no to.

Last week, there was a meeting with the new agents, Moussa Sissoko and the sporting director, Markus Krösche. They are getting offers and if there is a big offer they have to consider it. At the moment, nothing has happened as the offer isn’t on the table yet. The agents are pushing because new agents can only make money if they make a new deal.

Good news for Bayern Munich if Muani does end up going to United, as it then means United are out of the Harry Kane transfer poker.

📰 Manchester United have shown an interest in signing Kim Min-Jae this summer [Fichajes via CaughtOffside]

Micky van de Ven

The player is talented and very fast for a centre-back – 35.9km per hour; that’s really quick for such a player.

He has a contract until 2027 and no release clause but Wolfsburg would be prepared to talk if they received an offer of €30m. The player himself has said he has no problem with staying another year but has also mentioned he’s open for a switch to Spain and the Premier League. So he’s already thinking about his future.

[💬Should a Premier League club swoop in early for the centre-half? Let us know your thoughts below! – (Photo by Oliver Hardt/Getty Images)]

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Many clubs are scouting him at the moment, it’s a really long list; Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Roma, AC Milan… so you see, he’s a very attractive option.

It’s not the case that he feels he has to leave this summer but I think if he keeps up the quality of his performances this season, next summer one of these clubs will be prepared to pay what Wolfsburg are looking for.

Real Madrid

We heard that Real Madrid are keen on Joško Gvardiol – it’s very concrete. There were already talks before the World Cup and now they are applying pressure with the potential deal. I heard Gvardiol regrets not putting more pressure on his club when Chelsea knocked on the door last summer for €90m.

Now, he sees that clubs are interested again; Real Madrid look like they could be the No.1 choice but Manchester City are also an interesting option for him. Chelsea lost important time in this deal and find themselves on the second row behind these two clubs.

His release clause is €112m in 2024. Chelsea made a bid of €90m last summer, so you see the minimum would be €100m and this is the line the clubs have to jump over.

Tottenham

Before, we’ve heard about concrete interest from Tottenham in Borna Sosa. This winter, Leverkusen tried to get him. Sosa also wanted to leave in the past.

He’s got new management and they’re in talks with Tottenham; Spurs are keen. He wouldn’t be too expensive for an English club, so I think this deal could happen this summer.

Chelsea have knocked on Oliver Glasner’s door in the past but he was committed to the project at Frankfurt. Now, I heard Frankfurt have tried to arrange a new contract and discuss his future. Glasner told them that he needs time to make that decision, so you see, perhaps, he’s thinking of moving to another club – this could be Tottenham.

I don’t think he’s made a decision yet, so let’s see. Hansi Flick was also close to joining Tottenham before he took the Germany job. Tottenham clearly have their eye on Bundesliga coaches, so perhaps Glasner could be their man.

📰 Tottenham now linked with a move for Barcelona’s Ferran Torres [Calciomercatoweb via CaughtOffside]