The Bayern Insider: ‘That’s bulls**t’: Eberl gives blunt Freund verdict amid Cherki rumours
Welcome to today’s exclusive & comprehensive round-up of all things Bayern Munich from Bayern insider Christian Falk. Featuring updates on Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki, Christoph Freund, and Kaio Jorge.
Today’s top stories
Would Bayern actually sell Michael Olise in January?
Is Man City’s Rayan Cherki a serious target?
Have Bayern found a long-term Harry Kane successor?
And plenty more on Rodrigo Dudok, Axel Hefer, Lucca Brughmans & Kylian Mbappe
It was really interesting to talk with Max Eberl. We were sitting for about an hour to discuss the summer transfer window and all the transfer business that took place. Inevitably, we covered the summer rumours around Michael Olise, and he was quite cool on this topic. There was one moment where he became a little excited because he received a short message during the holidays about Michael Olise, and he thought, ‘Oh, what will this be about?’ Bear in mind, there were rumours at the time of interest from Real Madrid. He opened it, and it fortunately just ended up being a photo of him and a colleague, saying, “Hello to you, Max”.
So, you see, we were right. No secrets around Real Madrid. Olise will definitely stay at Bayern this season, and hopefully for a lot longer beyond it. Max Eberl said the Frenchman is not for sale. He made it very, very clear that there will be no amount of money that could get them thinking about a transfer. He also said that Bayern have to know next summer what Michael Olise will be thinking about his future. He currently has a contract lasting just under three years, but next summer, they have to make a decision in terms of whether a new contract will be signed or, perhaps, Olise is to be sold.
Would Bayern sanction Michael Olise’s exit in Janaury?
It is NOT TRUE: Bayern would consider selling Michael Olise in January if the right offer came in. There is absolutely no chance of selling the Frenchman in the January transfer window. Bayern are not a club that normally deals in the winter; they won’t sell any players they need for their season. They want to win the Champions League this year. So, there’ll be no amount where Bayern could be persuaded into parting ways with Olise early. The former Crystal Palace man will play for Bayern Munich for sure this season and there’s no chance to get him. Not for Real Madrid, PSG or any Premier League club. He will stay put.
Schalke manage to hold back the tide
You have to say that Bayern Munich were very dominant against Schalke. There were enough chances; you think about Luis Diaz – he always has some trouble at the beginning of the season to score! It was a little funny watching him in front of the goal with just the goalkeeper standing in his way and, I don’t know how he managed to hit the ball in this certain way, but it was a little bit like Uli Hoeneß in 1976 with his penalty over the goal. So, there were enough chances created to win the game. But Schalke did such a good job with their defence, with the whole stadium behind them. They were celebrating every tackle, every foul, and, in the end, they had an xG that amounted to 0.1. So, you can see they weren’t interested in scoring, they just wanted to defend.
→ Become a Bayern Insider: Bayern have new plan for Olise after Kane contract breakthrough
Loris Karius, the goalkeeper, also had a great day. I met him before the game at the Sport Bild awards and he was really keen on playing in this match. He did an excellent job in goal for Schalke.
The presidential debate between Axel Hefer and Herbert Hainer
I spoke with many bosses from other clubs and it’s not really the German way to pursue a playoff format (to decide the Bundesliga title winner). Everyone likes the league format as it is. I think, of course, it would be a good idea to bring some more excitement, as Bayern Munich are so significantly ahead of the competition. But, in the end, clubs will have to look at changing the 50+1 rule that Bayern Munich aren’t a massive fan of. They have so far sold 25% of the shares to external investors. Under the club’s current statutes and internal resolutions, the parent company is permitted to sell a maximum of 30% of the shares. Negotiations are currently underway over the sale of the remaining 5% to the Hessian company Viessmann for around €250m [£214.6m]. Bayern themselves say that other clubs should be able to sell parts of the club to help get more money on board and aid their ability to compete with Bayern. But the key thing to note: Bayern Munich are totally against playoffs.
Money is the point in football. You could say that money scores goals! You see how much money means in the Premier League, even for the clubs coming from the Championship. Vincent Kompany, who formerly managed Burnley, made the point that it’s more difficult for clubs coming into the Premier League, as they have to spend automatically and immediately about £150m on transfers. I think this is more than what Bayern spent on transfers this window! Yet, this is the kind of money being thrown about by promoted clubs in the English top-flight. Kompany claimed it’s easier for clubs like SV Elversberg because there isn’t so much money available. So, to have more money in the system would be very good for Bundesliga clubs.
You can see that the top five transfers this summer were for four players from or in the Premier League. The only player not from the Premier League was Yan Diomande, who signed for Real Madrid from RB Leipzig in a €125m [£107.3m] deal. And also in the top 10, there were seven deals within the Premier League for the Premier League. So, it’s hard to compare! And it would be good in the Bundesliga if there was more money for the other clubs to compete with Bayern Munich.
Could Rayan Cherki be a serious target for FC Bayern?
It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich are keeping a close eye on Man City star Rayan Cherki. I asked Max Eberl about this and he made it clear that there’s no plan to bring Cherki in during the winter window. Bayern, anyway, doesn’t tend to do big deals like Cherki, who would be really expensive in January, if something disastrous hasn’t happened like a serious injury. I don’t think that will happen – I certainly hope it doesn’t!
If you see Khvhicha Kvaratskhelia would be a very interesting player for Bayern Munich in the past when he played for Napoli – and it was €70m [£60.1m] that PSG paid for his services in the winter – normally €70m is okay at Bayern. They paid as much for Luis Diaz from Liverpool. However, Bayern Munich can’t do this in the winter. They have a summer-led strategy where they look to build a squad for an entire season. They spent about €105m [£90.1m] for two transfers this summer and they brought in money (about €62.5m-€65m [£53.6m-55.8m]), so you’re looking at an outlay of about €40m [£34.3m]. That’s Bayern Munich. They just don’t pay a lot of money in the winter.
Bayern rumoured to want Rayan Cherki
It is NOT TRUE: Bayern want to sign Man City star Rayan Cherki. He was not on the list. In the end, Bayern had the idea – as everyone is aware – of Anthony Gordon. However, it was quickly clear that he’d be too expensive when they saw what Barcelona were prepared to do with a transfer fee and salary for the former Newcastle star. So, they worked on the Ismael Saibari deal for about a year, and it was also the idea of Vincent Kompany after they played against PSV. He asked Max Eberl and Christoph Freund whether they knew much about the player, arguing that the Moroccan would be a good fit for Bayern’s system. They said he was already on the list and, if Kompany liked him, FC Bayern could go for him. So, you see, there was a really early plan for a star like Anthony Gordon on one hand and a player like Saibari on the other, who has a lot of potential. In the end, they had to decide on Ismael Saibari. Cherki was just not on the list.
Did Liverpool beat Bayern to Lucca Brughmans?
It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich were interested in Lucca Brughmans. He’s an interesting player but Bayern already has interesting players in this position. The future is in the team, with Manuel Neuer and Jonas Urbig sharing minutes in 2026/27. Bayern Munich just didn’t have an eye on Brughmans.
Rodrigo Dudok is not currently of interest to Bayern
It is TRUE: Bayern Munich invited Rodrigo Dudok (19) for a trial at Säbener Straße and took a closer look at him. He’s a good player but not, at the moment, at the level Bayern Munich would like. So, the Bavarian giants decided against an offer at this time. They’ve wished the Uruguayan well in his development. Perhaps in a few years things can be different and he can come back for another tryout, but he’s not yet in the range of, say, a Lennart Karl or a Tim Binder (who signed a professional contract with FC Bayern on Thursday). They already have quality there, so they don’t need Dudok.
Following his trial with FC Bayern Rodrigo Dudok has joined Estrela Amadora on loan with an option to buy.
Is Kaio Jorge a potential Harry Kane successor?
Kaio Jorge is an interesting player. Many clubs are interested in him, but as you see, the range of other sides – Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League – it’s not exactly the top range of clubs in Europe. Bayern are aware of the player. The transfer fee, I believe, would be around €45m [£38.6m], which could be an option if they’re in need. But at the moment, the focus is on getting Harry Kane to sign a new contract – they want to keep him. The plan is two years, perhaps even three years; the plans aren’t so concrete. But it is true that Bayern have a lot of scouts over in the South American market. That’s an idea for the future: to get more players in from this neck of the woods, as they’re cheaper! But at the moment, this deal is not concrete.
Harry Kane’s Ballon d’Or chances
I’m not so sure that Kylian Mbappe should be considered Harry Kane’s main competition for the Ballon d’Or award this year. We asked Kane about the potential achievement at the Sport Bild awards and he told us that it’s not in his hands anymore. He also mentioned that the 2025/26 season had been the best in his entire career, which means a lot when you talk about Harry Kane! Even more so considering his astonishingly humble nature. At any rate, he received Sport Bild’s Football Star of the Year award. He was also the footballer of the year in Germany; he won the championship and cup in Germany and did very well in the Champions League. Bayern were so close to the final, falling just short of PSG. I remember in the World Cup, his England side beat Kylian Mbappe’s France. So, you see, in every tournament and challenge, he was better than Kylian Mbappe. So, I think he absolutely deserves it. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the voting turns out.
Christoph Freund’s expiring contract
Bayern Munich are absolutely aware of the fact that Christoph Freund’s contract is running out. We’ve seen contract extensions for Max Eberl and the CEO, Jan-Christian Dreesen. But this is another thing the supervisory board has to approve, and they’re deciding on the topic now. Now, the next step is for Max Eberl, Dreesen, and Rouven Kasper (who are on the board) to decide on the future of Freund. I spoke with Eberl and he said there’s no question for him – his colleague will get a new contract. I think we’ll seen an extension happen this side of 2026. They are totally convinced that Freund is the best man for this position. There are always rumours around that perhaps there’s a power struggle between Christoph Freund and Max Eberl. I asked Eberl about this and he said, and I quote, “That’s bulls**t.” We left this word in our interview! He insisted on it being left in the interview, as it fully reflects how he feels about this rumour.
