BUNDESLIGA THE UGLY
Outspoken Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller has found himself front and centre in an odd war of words surrounding the club’s rumoured interest in Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland. The Norwegian’s incredible goalscoring form has continued into the 202122 campaign, with the 21-year-old continuing to turn heads across Europe. Haaland looks certain to be at the centre of a transfer tug of war this summer, with his release clause at Signal Iduna Park dropping to €75m in June. That price is well within the budgets of Europe’s superpowers, as Real Madrid, Manchester City and Paris SaintGermain all monitor the situation with interest. However, despite his links to City via his father, and previous comments hinting at a desire to play for Real Madrid in future, Bayern remain the logical move for the former RB Salzburg
‘THOMAS MULLER HAS BEEN HORSING AROUND WITH BAYERN MUNICH TARGET ERLING HAALAND’ Bundesliga bought ads in Atlanta, Washington and Dallas newspapers for George Bello, Kevin Paredes, Ricardo Pepi and Justin Che—who all joined Bundesliga clubs in the January transfer window. Bundesliga has attracted a large number of young talents from the US, and it intends to expand further in the American soccer market.
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SOCCER360 MARCH • APRIL 2022
striker. Haaland’s phenomenal numbers have expanded his profile into a world-class forward, while Robert Lewandowski’s advancing years possibly open up a gap that needs filling at the Allianz Arena. But, despite his club looking to keep themselves in the running to sign Haaland, Muller offered a tongue-in-cheek response when asked about the chance of teaming up with him in Bavaria next season. As part of an interview with Bild, Muller was asked if he would be excited by the prospect of feeding assists to Haaland, to which he responded with his preference for feeding his horses and rabbits. Muller’s remarks appear bizarre when read out of context, but the club are unlikely to be pleased by his cryptic answer on the situation, as they aim to keep pace in the race to sign the prolific striker.
FAR LEFT: Thomas Muller horses around with Erling Haaland ABOVE: Haaland reacts during a Bundesliga match TOP (OPPOSITE PAGE): St. Pauli look set for promotion to the Bundesliga BOTTOM (OPPOSITE PAGE): Stuttgart seem set for relegation
FC Koln boss Steffen Baumgart missed his side's game against Freiburg because of Covid-19, but he was still kicking every ball while watching from his living room. In a hilarious video posted to TikTok, the Koln coach is seen screaming at his players on the television at the top of his lungs. And they could probably hear him from the stadium as the Bundesliga outfit recorded a precious 1-0 win over Freiburg without their manager on the sidelines.
Borussia Dortmund left-back Raphael Guerreiro wants to sit down with the club to discuss a new deal in the near future. The Portuguese left-back expressed his love for BVB, but also stressed the financial significance of a new contract. Since he is 28 years old at the moment, it’s likely to be the last big contract he pens in his career. Guerreiro's current deal expires in 2023.
