The Bundesliga title chase is heating up between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. Bayern Munich are on top of the pack with a four-point lead over second-seeded Bayer Leverkusen, and these two teams have huge decisions to make come the winter transfer window.
That is because two of their key defenders, Alphonso Davies for Bayern Munich and Jonathan Tah for Bayer Leverkusen, are being chased by top teams from the other leagues, especially since their current contracts will expire next summer. If Die Bayern and Die Werkself will lose these two stars, they prefer to do so at the end of the 2024-25 season, not in January.
Meanwhile, Union Berlin have a new job vacancy after they sacked their manager following a lacklustre run of results. Learn more about the latest Bundesliga 2024 updates by reading below.
Davies at a crossroads with Bayern Munich
Alphonso Davies is free to negotiate with any club on January 1, 2025, since his current contract will expire on June 30, 2025, and many rival clubs are monitoring his situation. Real Madrid are said to be the frontrunners for Davies, with Manchester United and Liverpool also keen on taking the speedy left-back.
The Canadian international has been with Die Bayern since 2019 and has won several honours with them, including five Bundesliga titles, two DFB-Pokals, three DFL-Supercups, one Champions League, one UEFA Super Cup, and one FIFA Club World Cup. During his five-year tenure, Davies has recorded nine goals in 148 appearances.
Real Madrid and Liverpool see Alphonso Davies as the long-term replacement for Ferland Mendy and Andy Robertson. At the same time, Manchester United desperately need a left-back since Luke Shaw is always injured.
The ball is in Davies’ hands at the end of the day. He can either sign a new extension with Bayern Munich or pursue a new challenge in a different European league. Either way, the 24-year-old is in for a lucrative payday next year.
Barcelona step up their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen’s Tah
Jonathan Tah is also free to negotiate with any club on January 1, 2025, but his representatives may have already started. According to reports, Barcelona are in pole position to poach the Bayer Leverkusen star, despite their well-documented financial woes.
Bayer Leverkusen defied the SBOTOP Bundesliga 2024 odds when they won their first-ever Meisterschale last season, and Tah played a huge role in their success. The 28-year-old centre-back has been with the club since 2015, notching 14 goals in 273 appearances and winning one DFB-Pokal and one DFL-Supercup, so we don’t blame him if he wants to seek a different challenge in his professional career.
Jonathan Tah’s familiarity with Hansi Flick has been a critical factor in the negotiations, as the German coach worked closely with the centre-back during his time with the German national team. Jonathan Tah will undoubtedly strengthen Barca’s backline in the long run, which already has Pau Cubarsi, Jules Kounde, and Ronald Araujo, among others.
Andreas Christensen and Eric Garcia will be on the chopping block in the winter transfer window if Tah’s move to Barca materializes since they need to raise funds for Dani Olmo’s roster registration.
Union Berlin sack Svensson after winless run
Union Berlin decided to part ways with Bo Svensson after nine games without a win across all competitions. Die Eisernen said they will decide on a new coach to take charge of the team from January 2 in the “next days.”
“After a thorough analysis of the season so far, we are convinced that a significant change is necessary to reverse the trend. We have therefore decided not to continue the cooperation with Bo Svensson, Babak Keyhanfar, Kristoffer Wichmann, and Tijan Njie,” Union Berlin managing director Horst Heldt said in a statement.
Bo Svensson was appointed in the summer after the club staved off relegation under the guidance of interim manager Marco Grote. The former Mainz coach started on a positive note, as Union Berlin were undefeated in their first four Bundesliga matches with wins over FC St. Pauli (1-0) and Hoffenheim (2-1) and draws against Mainz (1-1) and RB Leipzig (0-0).
Union Berlin were knocked out of the DFB-Pokal by Arminia Bielefeld, and they haven’t won a game since beating newly promoted Holstein Kiel in October (2-0). Bo Svensson’s last game at the helm was a chastening 4-1 loss at Werder Bremen last December 21. The team is 12th in the German top-flight standings with only 17 points, a far cry from their fourth-place finish in 2022-23.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
