Bayern Munich vs. Aston Villa for Nathan De Cat; Harry Kane rumors; and MORE!

Bayern has competition for De Cat (CaughtOffside)

Bayern Munich is thought to be one of the leading contenders to land Anderlecht’s prodigious 17-year-old midfielder Nathan De Cat. Both Aston Villa and FC Barcelona are rumored to be in the running for the youngster:

Aston Villa are preparing an ambitious January move for Anderlecht’s 17-year-old midfield prodigy Nathan De Cat, as they look to reinforce their long-term midfield core under Unai Emery.

Sources close to the agents industry have informed CaughtOffside that Villa have identified the Belgian teenager as a potential partner for Boubacar Kamara in the years ahead and are keen to accelerate talks despite mounting competition from Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton, and Bayern Munich.

De Cat, widely regarded as one of Belgium’s brightest young talents, has impressed scouts across Europe.

Sources close to the club indicate that a £30 million (€35m) package, including performance-related add-ons, would meet their record sale ambitions. Villa are reportedly readying an offer worth €22–25 million upfront, with additional bonuses and a 10–15% sell-on clause, designed to tempt Anderlecht into early discussions.

Tottenham are also actively pursuing De Cat, with sporting director Johan Lange pushing hard to bring him to north London, while Brighton have made inquiries through intermediaries.

The future of Bayern Munich’s midfield is somewhat up in the air. Joshua Kimmich will be in the group, Aleksandar Pavlović figures to be in the group, and Tom Bischof could be (it is tough to gauge how much Vincent Kompany likes him in the central midfield), but there should be one spot open at a minimum. Would the Bavarians seek a youngster like De Cat or maybe more of a veteran presence?

We should find out this summer.

Bayern star earns recognition (WhoScored.com)

Bayern Munich winger Luis Díaz was recognized for his efforts vs. St. Pauli with a spot on WhoScored.com’s Bundesliga Team of the Week:

PSG wants Rashford (ESPN)

Paris Saint-Germain might be thinking of making a play for Marcus Rashford:

Paris Saint-Germain are considering a move for Barcelona’s on loan striker Marcus Rashford, reports Football Insider. Rashford, 28, is on loan from Manchester United and Barca are favorites to sign him permanently as they can activate a €35 million release clause in the deal. Rashford has scored six goals while providing seven assists in 18 games since arriving at Camp Nou in the summer, but PSG are now keeping close tabs on his situation and could step up their interest if Barca opt not to do anything.

Barca will turn to Alvarez if Kane pursuit fails (Sport via ESPN)

FC Barcelona is still going to try and get Bayern Munich star Harry Kane, but if the Catalans fail, they will turn their attention to Atlético Madrid forward Julián Alvarez:

Barcelona will turn their attention to Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez if Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane doesn’t activate his €65 million release clause in the summer.

LFC gets hope with Konaté (TEAMtalk)

With Real Madrid bowing out of the race for Ibrahima Konaté, Liverpool is starting to feel good about its chances of retaining the defender:

Liverpool are “seeing new promise” in their quest to keep Ibrahima Konate at Anfield – but two sources have explained why their prospects of tying him down have only come around after a dramatic Real Madrid U-turn and with the star having seemingly green-lighted a potential move to the Bernabeu.

As for Konate, our reporter Dean Jones has explained what went wrong for the player, why the move to the Bernabeu is now off the agenda and how their aborted interest has played into Liverpool’s hands.

Per Jones, Liverpool are now seeing new promise that a contract extension with Konate can now be agreed after all.

“The Konate news is very interesting as the player has very much had his head turned by the interest from Madrid,” Jones told TEAMtalk. “I think he was really hoping to end up there, but after recent performances, I’m not surprised that deal is no longer being looked at. Sources in Spain say the idea of moving to Madrid had been winning him over – but this is a club that are not afraid to change their plans. And Real Madrid have always had other big names they’ve looked at alongside him. To be honest, those players are playing better than Konate is right now.”

Explaining what will happen next and why the defender’s negotiating hand may now have been weakened by Real’s withdrawal from the race, Jones continued: “This is a decision that Madrid are making in good time ahead of 2026 and maybe explains why Liverpool have been seeing more positive signs recently about Konate signing a new contract.

“As I reported the other day, Liverpool had started to see new promise recently that an agreement could be found with Konate. They have a limit as to how far they will go to keep him, though, and now that Madrid are pulling away, Konate is not in as powerful of a negotiating situation as he previously seemed. There will still be other options for him to explore, but this can’t drag on too long as the fanbase are becoming frustrated with him.”

Ramos still going (ESPN)

Bayern Munich has not had to deal with Sergio Ramos in a while, but the 39-year-old still going…and might even get a new deal. The Spaniard has interest from clubs in Europe, MLS, and Saudi Arabia:

Sergio Ramos will leave Monterrey and has interest from Saudi Arabia, MLS and Europe, claims Marca. The former Real Madrid defender, 39, is not ready to retire and is trying to make Spain’s squad for the 2026 World Cup in the summer. Ramos is set to depart Monterrey just nine months after joining the Mexican team as a free agent, with Inter Miami a possible destination.

New supervisory board member (FCBayern.com)

Michael Diekmann is joining Bayern Munich’s supervisory board per a release from the club:

At Monday’s FC Bayern München AG Annual General Meeting, Dr Werner Zedelius stepped down as the representative of long-standing FCB partner Allianz from the club’s supervisory board. He will be replaced by Michael Diekmann, chairman of the supervisory board of Allianz SE, with effect from the next meeting. Zedelius had been a member of the club’s supervisory board since May 2015.

Herbert Hainer, FC Bayern supervisory board chairman: “Dr Werner Zedelius has been a proud member of our supervisory board for ten years. During this time, the club enjoyed historic success. We would like to thank him for his expertise and experience. He has been an extremely valuable advisor to us. In Michael Diekmann, we are gaining a new, first-class source of inspiration for our committee. With his character and financial expertise, he will help us to further develop the club.”

Dr Werner Zedelius: “I would like to express my gratitude for ten unforgettable years as a member of the FC Bayern supervisory board. It has been a great honour to have been part of this unique club. I will remain connected to it in the future and wish FC Bayern continued success.”

Michael Diekmann: “Allianz and FC Bayern have enjoyed a strong partnership for 25 years. Twenty years ago, we opened the Allianz Arena together. Our collaboration stands for international brand strength, social commitment, and our shared home city of Munich. I’m delighted to represent Allianz on the FC Bayern supervisory board in the future and to help shape the next milestones in this partnership.”

If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…