Bayern Munich

German giants Bayern Munich are reportedly deemed to be leading the race to sign Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey at the end of the season. The Wales international presently has just eight months remaining on his Arsenal and reports have recently indicated that the club have no plans of extending his contract beyond the current campaign.

Owing to this, the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United have been fancied to recruit him next summer but according to The Express, they could potentially face stiff competition from the German champions. It is added that Bayern may seek to open up discussions over a pre-contract during the New Year in order to beat their European rivals to the player’s signature.

Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller has backed compatriot Leroy Sane to rediscover his form for club and country during the ongoing campaign. The Germany international enjoyed a top season with Manchester City last season where he contributed 10 goals and 15 assists en route to their Premier League crown but he was still surprisingly excluded from the country’s squad for the summer World Cup.

Since then, Sane has not enjoyed a good return with the Citizens with just one start in the Community Shield but Muller has backed him to come good over the course of the season, he told Bild: “He’s an exceptional talent with abilities that only very few people possess. I think Leroy is mature enough, and I have great confidence in him for the future. [It’s the team’s responsibility] that we help him to reach his optimum level of performance with the national team.”

Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has dismissed the ongoing speculation of James Rodriguez heading back to Real Madrid this summer. The Colombia international is presently entering the second year of his two-year loan move from Los Blancos and Rummenigge has ruled out the prospect of the attacker being recalled.

Speaking to reporters, Rummenigge indicated that source from Spain have got the wrong information and he expects Rodriguez to stay put with the club for the upcoming campaign, he said: “Many things coming from Spain are not true. He will play for sure this season - and I expect that he will play for Bayern.”

Bayern Munich legend Oliver Kahn has admitted that Loris Karius may find it hard to reclaim his Liverpool place following a poor performance in the Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid. The German was at fault for two of Real Madrid’s three goals on the night and this eventually witnessed Los Blancos secure a comfortable 3-1 victory.

Speaking after the game, Kahn was astonished with the performance of his compatriot and admits that he fears for the future of Karius, he told FourFourTwo: “Words fail, I cannot remember ever having seen anything so cruel in a final, from a goalkeeper’s point of view. An evening like it can destroy a career, you need time to process it, as a keeper it was cruel to look at. From now on it does not matter anymore if he plays well, and he gets to hear: ‘Yes, today you were good, but do you remember what happened in the final?’”

Italian legend Luca Toni believes Mauro Icardi would be the perfect fit for Bayern Munich, should they part ways with Robert Lewandowski during the current transfer window. Lewandowski has evolved into a world-class striker during his four seasons with Bayern but recent reports suggest that the Poland international may pursue a move elsewhere.

As such, there have been plenty of a quality marksman linked with the Bavarian giants and Toni has backed Inter’s Icardi to succeed Lewandowski at the Allianz Arena, he told SportBild: “He’d be perfect. If a player wants to leave, you should just let him go. Icardi from Inter would be perfect for Bayern. He is a great forward and younger than Lewandowski.”

Swansea City manager Carlos Carvalhal has urged Renato Sanches to consider a return to Benfica during this summer’s transfer window. The Portugal international struggled for game time during his maiden season with Bayern Munich last term and this witnessed him secure a season-long loan to Swansea City last summer to the surprise of many.

However, the season did not go as planned for the Portuguese as he failed to contribute a goal or assist for the Premier League club and he spent the backend of the campaign on the sidelines with a hamstring problem. Speaking to reporters, Carvalhal admitted that Sanchez has not quite lived to his expectations during his Swans stay and he could better off returning to Benfica where he made a name for himself.

Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller has backed Philipp Lahm to join the club’s coaching staff as doubts linger over the future of Jupp Heynckes. The 72-year-old linked up with the Bavarian giants on an interim basis in November 2017, shortly after Carlo Ancelotti’s dismissal from the head coach role.

Heynckes has since transformed the club’s season to put them on the cusp of a sixth straight Bundesliga title, whilst they are still in the running for the Champions League crown. Despite this, the veteran has repeatedly hinted that he would retire during the summer with ex-Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel touted by many to become the club’s new manager.

Dutch footballer Arjen Robben has admitted that his Bayern Munich career is coming to a close as he weighs up a move to a lucrative league outside of Europe.

The former Netherlands international has enjoyed a trophy-laden career with the Bavarian giants, lifting six Bundesliga titles, four DFB-Pokals, and the prestigious Champions League in 2013, where he bagged a late winner.

Former Bayern Munich star Michael Ballack expects Carlo Ancelotti to have a difficult campaign with the German champions this term despite making a 100 percent start to the Bundesliga campaign.

The 40-year-old, who has previously played under the tutelage of Ancelotti at Chelsea, believes that the manager will regret the appointment of Willy Sagnol as his new assistant this season.

"I was amazed that Ancelotti said on the day Sagnol was introduced that he would have preferred Philipp Lahm or Xabi Alonso alongside him. Obviously, there were different opinions between the coach and the Bayern board. In addition, Ballack claims Ancelotti could regret the decision not to choose his own assistant and accept the Bayern hierarchy's own man. I know Carlo from our time together at Chelsea. He is a nice bloke of impeccable character who has perhaps made concessions and accepted decisions against his own will," Ballack told Revier Sport.

Bayern Munich once again produced an impeccable performance in the Champions League group stages to secure a 2-0 win overDinamo Zagreb.

This ensured that the club returned to winning ways once again after they had suffered a shock 3-1 loss against Borussia Mönchengladbach during the weekend. Bayern Munich had no requirement to chase a victory against Dinamo Zagreb since they had already qualified for the last 16 of the competition as group winners. The real competition was just below Bayern Munich with Arsenal and Olympiakos fighting for the second spot.