Bundesliga Daily Report - 2026-09-27: Bayern reportedly consider Pickford as Neuer succession plan

Bayern Munich were reported on Sunday to be considering a move for Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in 2027. According to Alan Nixon, Bayern have begun assessing options for life after Manuel Neuer, whose contract situation is approaching a decisive stage. Pickford has been identified as a serious candidate in the early planning process, although the report describes the interest as exploratory rather than a completed negotiation. The 32-year-old remains Everton’s established first-choice goalkeeper, while Bayern are weighing how to manage the next phase of their goalkeeping department.

The report said Vincent Kompany had been gathering information on Pickford through trusted contacts as Bayern shaped a shortlist for Neuer’s eventual successor. That would make the position part of the club’s longer-term recruitment strategy rather than an immediate response to a crisis. Bayern already have Jonas Urbig in their planning for the future, according to a separate report, but Pickford’s experience would offer a different profile. Any move would depend on Bayern’s internal decisions and Everton’s position over their goalkeeper’s future.

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Bayern Munich were reported on Sunday to be monitoring Atletico Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente ahead of the January transfer window. Sports Mole, citing AS, said the World Cup winner had attracted interest because his Atletico contract expires in June 2027. Llorente, 31, is valued for his versatility, having operated at right-back, in midfield and further forward under Diego Simeone. Atletico want to retain him and are working towards an extension, but the approaching contractual deadline has made his situation relevant to clubs outside Spain.

The report said Bayern could increase their interest if Llorente does not agree fresh terms in Madrid. From January, non-Spanish clubs would be able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement for a free transfer next summer, creating pressure on Atletico to settle the matter earlier. Llorente’s ability to cover several positions would fit the sort of squad flexibility Bayern are examining, although the story remains at monitoring stage. His next contract decision is therefore likely to determine whether Bayern’s interest develops into a formal approach.

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Loris Karius set a new Bundesliga record for saves on Sunday after rebuilding his career following a difficult period. The 33-year-old goalkeeper told Funke newspaper that he had endured a severe psychological breakdown after his errors in Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final. He said the experience left him without his passion for football and unwilling to train or play. By 2024, Karius was without a club and had accepted that suitable offers might no longer arrive.

Karius’s record marked a striking reversal from the setbacks that followed his Liverpool spell. He described the period after the final as a sharp collapse in a career that had previously been rising quickly, while later short spells at Union Berlin and Schalke formed part of his return. The achievement gives the goalkeeper a significant personal milestone in the Bundesliga and underlines the scale of his recovery. His account also placed the record in a wider context, linking a statistical landmark with a difficult story of returning to professional football.

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Hoffenheim midfielder Bambase Conte was handed his Germany debut against Greece on Sunday after Jürgen Klopp praised his training performances. Klopp said Conte fitted Germany’s tactical work naturally, highlighting his pressing, technical ability and ball-winning mentality before naming him in the starting line-up. The call-up was notable because Conte had made only 11 Bundesliga appearances after returning to Hoffenheim in the summer from loan spells at Karlsruher SC and SV Elversberg. His selection represented an unexpected opportunity for a player still establishing himself at club level.

Klopp also pointed to Conte’s ability to play between the lines, describing the combination of qualities as unusual within the current Germany squad. That explanation suggested the Hoffenheim midfielder had been chosen for a specific tactical role rather than simply as a reward for potential. Conte’s debut will now give Klopp a fresh reference point when assessing the national team’s midfield options. For Hoffenheim, the international recognition also raised the profile of a player whose senior Bundesliga experience remains relatively limited.

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Freiburg defender Philipp Treu made his senior Germany debut in Thursday’s 1-1 draw with the Netherlands and received praise from Jonathan Tah afterwards. Treu started at right-back and impressed with his energy, willingness to advance and decision-making, according to Bavarian Football Works. His performance came as Germany continued searching for a reliable option in that position. The 25-year-old handled his first appearance on a major international stage positively, giving the national team another candidate to assess during the current Nations League programme.

Tah praised Treu’s work along the right flank, saying the Freiburg player’s ability to get up and down the touchline was “incredible” for a first international appearance. The endorsement matters because Treu’s display addressed a position Germany have been trying to settle. His performance does not secure a permanent role, but it gives the defender useful momentum when he returns to Freiburg. For Germany, the draw provided an opportunity to examine a Bundesliga player in a demanding fixture rather than relying only on established alternatives.

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Bayern Munich Frauen were drawn against Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal round of 16 on Sunday. The draw followed Bayern’s 2-1 first-round victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach, while Leverkusen reached the same stage with a 2-0 win over Viktoria Berlin after extra time. Bayern will host the tie, most likely at the FC Bayern Campus. It will be the first meeting between the two clubs in the women’s Pokal, adding a new fixture to a rivalry that has already developed through their Bundesliga encounters.

The pairing gives Bayern one of the more demanding possible routes into the quarter-finals, with Leverkusen arriving after negotiating a difficult away tie over 120 minutes. Bayern have enjoyed sustained success against Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, but cup football offers a different setting in which one match will decide progress. The home draw should give Bayern a favourable venue, although the fixture will still require them to manage the pressure of being the stronger-established side. The date of the last-16 match was not stated in the report.

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Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi said he changed his feelings towards Bayern Munich after the club released him from their youth academy. Adeyemi was born in Munich and spent three years in Bayern’s academy before leaving because of disciplinary issues, according to Bavarian Football Works. He continued his development at SpVgg Unterhaching and Red Bull Salzburg before returning to Germany with Dortmund in 2022. The account offered a personal explanation for why his connection with Dortmund grew despite his childhood support for Bayern.

Adeyemi’s story also illustrates the different routes taken by players who leave elite academies before reaching senior football. Bayern had been the club he supported while growing up, but his teenage years altered that perspective after the decision to release him. Salzburg provided the next stage of his development before Dortmund brought him back to the Bundesliga. His recollection gives added background to the relationship between a prominent Dortmund player and Bayern, while also showing how an early academy setback shaped his later career.

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