Report coming in is that Konrad Laimer has joined FC Bayern as a free agent.
Konrad Laimer has signed a four-year deal with Bayern after leaving RB Leipzig.
International sports analyst, Fabrizio Romano noted that Premier League clubs tried to temp Laimer but no chance, making him first Bayern signing for 2023/2024 season.
This is the best possible deal for Bayern as they would’ve had to provide be a considerable transfer fee to sign him prior to his contract with Leipzig expiring.
Other news:
Valencia have triggered the buy option clause to sign Cenk Özkacar from OL. Permanent deal completed for €5m.
Tottenham and Newcastle are into the race to sign James Maddison. He’s set to leave Leicester and negotiations will take place soon.
Postecoglou asked for Maddison but Newcastle have been working on this deal since last summer.
Pep Guardiola hits back at speculation thatManchester City would easily defeat RB Leipzig following a discouraging 1-1 draw in their Champions League last-16 match.
Wednesday at the Red Bull Arena, Riyad Mahrez gave City a 27th-minute lead after City had completely dominated the first half of the first leg in Germany.
Guardiola’s visitors had the upper hand, but Leipzig rallied after the break, and Josko Gvardiol secured a point for Leipzig ahead of the rematch on March 14 at Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola refuted Marco Rose’s claim that a convincing victory at Leipzig was always likely despite the fact that his team is currently fifth in the Bundesliga and had failed to score in three previous Champions League quarterfinal matches.
The City manager told BT Sport: “People expect we are going to win 5-0, that’s not a reality. It is past the group stage in a very competitive competition and many important teams around.
“It is difficult, we knew this, our fourth game in 10 days, the away games, the travels and the people expect [wins]…
“I know we are a good team, and we continue to do good things. But people expect we come here and win 4 or 5-0, we are not able to do this.”
The opening 45 minutes were in stark contrast for what was to follow, with City boasting 74 per cent possession and only conceding one shot on target in the first half – a timid Timo Werner effort at Ederson.
Guardiola’s side managed just a 49.2 percent share of the ball in the second half, facing six shots, as substitute Benjamin Henrichs spurned a pair of glorious opportunities.
RB Leipzig 1-1 Man City: Man City looked comfortable at half-time, but a poor second half means that this #UCL tie is level heading into the second leg at the Etihad Stadium next month. pic.twitter.com/QyINoab9tr
Former Bayern Munich and Barcelona boss Guardiola insisted he was “happy” with the entire performance, however.
“They make a step forward, they pressed everyone high up, more problems in the build-up,” he said when asked about the second half.
“After the goal we conceded, we came back – we made a good last 15, 20 minutes. We had good chances, both sides in both halves, and now we go back to Manchester to decide it.”
Pressed on the drop in performance levels, a somewhat irked Guardiola added: “I’m happy for the whole game, not just the first half. What do you expect? We play a friendly game here?”
Despite Leipzig growing in confidence as the final whistle drew closer, Guardiola opted to make no substitutions throughout.
Pep Guardiola announced that Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte will miss Manchester City’s away game against RB Leipzig due to illness.
Surprisingly, De Bruyne and Laporte did not travel with the City team for the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 match.
Yet after they arrived in Germany, Guardiola was able to confirm the nature of their issues.
The City boss was doubtful whether either of the players, who both started against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, would be available for this weekend’s match at Bournemouth due to recent sickness.
These absences will force Guardiola to make decisions about his starting lineup, albeit he had previously aroused some interest by selecting midfielder Bernardo Silva for the left back position.
Previously, that role was covered by Fabian Delph and Oleksandr Zinchenko, but Silva struggled against Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and then seemed to be at fault for Forest’s equalizer on Saturday.
Guardiola said he was “not so stupid to think Bernardo is a full-back” as he explained his thought-process.
“People say we conceded the goal on the left side because Bernardo’s playing there, but people don’t realise – the view is like he’s a left-back who has to defend in that position,” he said.
“Bernardo helped us to do what we had done against Nottingham Forest. Without Bernardo, it was not possible to concede [only] one counter-attack and one or two actions at the end and [have] the amount of control of the game.”
Karim Benzema faces time on the Real Madrid sidelines after the Ballon d’Or winner was revealed to be suffering with muscular fatigue in his left leg.
With one month to go until France begin their World Cup campaign against Australia, the news of Benzema’s exertions taking their toll may be of some concern to Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps.
For now, there is no suggestion Benzema will not be fit to play a full role in the Qatar 2022 tournament, but the injury announcement is a reminder all players are susceptible amid a packed fixture schedule for Europe’s top clubs.
A Madrid club statement read: “Following tests carried out today on Karim Benzema by the Real Madrid medical services, he has been diagnosed with muscular fatigue in the quadricep muscle of his left leg. His recovery will be monitored.”
Reports in Spain said that, as well as missing Saturday’s game against Sevilla, Benzema was also expected to be absent for the Champions League fixture at RB Leipzig on Tuesday.
However, Benzema could be back for the LaLiga clash with Girona on Sunday, October 30, sports daily Marca reported.
Benzema won the Ballon d’Or for his feats last season, when his 44 goals in 46 games helped Madrid triumph in LaLiga and the Champions League.
He scored in last Sunday’s 3-1 win over Barcelona as Madrid went clear at the top of the Spanish top flight, before netting again on Wednesday in the 3-0 victory at Elche, where he played the full 90 minutes.
Celtic’s hopes of Champions League progression ended on Tuesday night after RB Leipzig hit two late goals at Parkhead.
Former Chelsea forward Timo Werner headed the opener in the 75th minute and Emil Forsberg sealed a 2-0 away win nine minutes later.
The defeat leaves Celtic bottom of Group F with one point from four matches and with no chance of making second place following Shakhtar Donetsk’s draw against Real Madrid in Warsaw.
The Scottish champions can still finish third but would need to beat Shakhtar and then get a result in the Bernabeu – and they would need to develop a far more clinical edge to do so.
They again had the better of the first-half chances but hit the frame of the goal twice and missed several good headed opportunities before the visitors stepped up their attacking threat.
The theme of their European campaign continued inside 60 seconds when Daizen Maeda spurned a glorious opportunity as he stooped to head Abada’s cross wide from four yards.
Leipzig soon took the sting out of the game though with long spells of possession and Dominik Szoboszlai returned David Raum’s deep cross beyond the opposite post from a good opening.
Celtic needed good blocks from Matt O’Riley – who was again playing in a deep midfield role – and Moritz Jenz after being troubled on the break.
The hosts came to life after the midway point of the half. Greg Taylor and Sead Haksabanovic caused some panic with balls in from the left and Jenz then headed over the latter’s corner.
Leipzig had a major let-off when O’Riley hit the post from 25 yards following a short corner and Taylor scuffed the rebound off the crossbar before Maeda headed wide.
Kyogo Furuhashi then missed an excellent chance when he sent a free header over the crossbar from 12 yards following a pinpoint cross from Haksabanovic.
Abada went off for James Forrest after sustaining what looked like a knee injury following a fair tackle from Raum.
Leipzig finished the half well. Raum hit the bar with a cross, Joe Hart denied Christopher Nkunku with his foot and Willi Orban sent a free header over from the resulting corner.
Hart pulled off a better stop from Orban early in the second half and Furuhashi failed to make the most of good set-up play from Forrest at the other end.
Celtic were living dangerously. Jenz and Cameron Carter-Vickers put in some important interventions and O’Riley tracked back to make an excellent sliding tackle – and they also got some fortune when Szoboszlai slipped in the penalty box after Reo Hatate lost the ball to leave his defence outnumbered.
Leipzig were enjoying the better of the second-half chances. Right-back Mohamed Simakan and Nkunku missed the target from decent chances before Hart saved from the latter.
Celtic made a triple change midway through the half with David Turnbull, Aaron Mooy and Giorgos Giakoumakis coming on and they soon had a chance when the Australian cut the ball back for Maeda. The Japan attacker was having a frustrating night with the ball though and steered a first-time effort wide.
The breakthrough came at the other end after Leipzig worked the ball down their left. Andre Silva got to the bye-line and cut it back for Werner to head home.
Celtic threatened an equaliser but O’Riley saw a strike palmed away and Giakoumakis headed Forrest’s cross wide from close range.
They were made to pay for the latest miss when Werner this time got down the left channel to cut back for Forsberg to find the top corner.
