Bayern Munich, news and rumours: past with Bayern! Notorious star agent enters the poker over wonderkid

The battle for wonderkid JJ Gabriel is continuing to intensify. Now a star agent very well known to Bayern Munich has also entered the fray. In addition, Lennart Karl will initially not travel to the national team for a specific reason. News and rumours surrounding Bayern Munich.

Bayern Munich, rumour: Ali Barat gets involved in the battle for wonderkid JJ Gabriel

Ali Barat has also entered the battle for wonderkid JJ Gabriel, according to information from the Manchester Evening News. The star agent from the "Epic Sports" agency is said to have helped kick-start talks between the player's camp and the reportedly interested clubs Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

At Manchester United, Gabriel's current club, Barat's involvement reportedly raised eyebrows. Player agents are officially not allowed to charge a commission or accept payments for U16 players. But by making his move, the Iranian, who has already twice been named the world's best agent, has put himself in position to sign the teenager in future.

Barat is currently one of the biggest agents in the business, but his manner has repeatedly caused offence. He became known, among other things, through his handling of Nicolas Jackson's loan deal with Bayern Munich, after which he promptly celebrated himself in a bizarre statement under the headline "Ali Barat has redefined the game" and revealed details of the deal between the German record champions and Chelsea. This summer, however, he lost some of his "shine" because of the farce surrounding Noah Atubolu, to whom he is said to have made false promises. In the end, they parted ways and the goalkeeper negotiated his future on his own, which is now called Eintracht Frankfurt.

Gabriel definitely wants to leave Manchester, according to consistent media reports, and is even said to have asked for his registration with the club to be cancelled. The process caused a "shock" at United and was "almost without precedent", it said in a report by the Telegraph. According to the Daily Mail, his family believe the Red Devils have fallen drastically behind teams such as Arsenal, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Reports from Spain, meanwhile, suggest Barca and Real are leading the race for the young attacking player. He is even said to have visited the Catalans recently. As Sky Sports reported recently, advanced talks have already taken place with both Spanish world-class clubs.

Bayern Munich are also said to have been in contact since February. Asked recently about Gabriel, sporting director Christoph Freund kept his cards close to his chest. "I don't speak about players who are under contract at other clubs. We know the player because he is very, very talented - an exceptional talent. But I can't say any more than that," he said, denying any current contact with the player's side.

Alongside the huge competition for Gabriel, international transfer rules also pose an obstacle to any potential signing. As an Englishman, the highly talented striker would in principle only be allowed to move to a European club and play there as a professional from his 18th birthday, which would also be a problem for Real or Barca. However, there is a way around that. Because his father is from Ireland and his mother has Cypriot roots, the youngster could secure an EU passport.

Bayern Munich, news: Why Lennart Karl is no longer in Jürgen Klopp's first squad

Karim Adeyemi (Barcelona) will replace Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich) in Jürgen Klopp's squad for the first two games of the German national team in the Nations League against the Netherlands on Thursday and three days later in Augsburg against Greece.

According to information from Sky, the change is a precautionary measure involving Karl. The 18-year-old is said to have suffered slight muscular problems last week and was therefore also not used in the 7-0 win against Union Berlin on Friday. Until he links up with the DFB team, when the duel with Serbia and the return match against Greece are on the schedule, the attacking player will follow an individual programme.

Only a few weeks ago, Karl returned to Bayern Munich team training after missing the World Cup at short notice with a torn muscle fibre bundle.

Karl has made five appearances so far this season. He has one goal and one assist.

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