Bundesliga

Real Madrid is reportedly set to open discussions with Borussia Dortmund about a potential summer transfer for superstar Erling Haaland.

ESPN's Alex Kirkland and Rodrigo Faez reported Friday that Manchester City is "best positioned" to land Haaland, but Los Blancos are still keen on trying to land both the Norwegian striker and Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe.

Barcelona is also said to be involved in the pursuit of Haaland, whose camp has "made it clear" he'd prefer to leave Dortmund this summer and would like to finalize plans in the "next few weeks to avoid further drama," according to the ESPN report.

Haaland scored 41 goals in 41 matches across all competitions for the German club last season and has continued to shine throughout the 2021-22 term, tallying 16 goals and five assists in 14 Bundesliga appearances.

In January, the 21-year-old attacking sensation told Norwegian outlet Viaplay (h/t ESPN) that Dortmund had started to "press" him into making a decision about his future.

"That is what they want," he said. "It means things will happen now. They have started to put a lot of pressure on me, and I have to accept that ... so now is the time to get things started."

Real Madrid leads La Liga with 52 goals scored in 26 matches this season, which has helped the club build a six-point lead over Sevilla atop the table.

Adding Haaland or Mbappe, or potentially both, to the squad would make it even more difficult for their Spanish counterparts to keep pace in the coming years.

That would obviously come at quite a cost, though. In November, agent Volker Struth estimated to German outlet Sport Bild (h/t Marca) the total price to sign Haaland between the transfer fee and the striker's new contract will likely be in the €250-300 million range.

Given Haaland's status as one of the world's top strikers and the high-profile clubs involved in trying to sign him, transfer talks could stretch well into the summer as Dortmund tries to maximize its return.

But it sounds like both the player and the club would prefer to settle the situation well before the transfer window opens to avoid a summer of unrelenting speculation.

Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland could demand $41 million (£30 million) or more annually in the event he signs with a new club next summer, according to ESPN's Mark Ogden.

"ESPN has been told that senior figures from interested clubs have been made aware that Haaland expects a pay deal that would see him earn in excess of £500,000 a week," Ogden reported. "ESPN has contacted the Haaland camp for a response to the figures."

Because of a release clause in his deal with Dortmund, the Norwegian star may be available for a reasonable transfer fee. Ogden cited a figure of €75 million. By comparison, €150 million was thrown out as a possible price for Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane.

At $165 million, he has the second-highest valuation on Transfermarkt behind Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe.

But the transfer fee only accounts for a portion of the outlay that will be required to land Haaland. He can justifiably request a contract that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the world, and Ogden reported that a "significant payment" would be tacked onto the transfer and go toward Haaland's representatives.

Upon arriving from Red Bull Salzburg, the 21-year-old made a seamless transition to the Bundesliga. He has 49 goals in 49 league appearances for Dortmund, and he's already setting records in the Champions League.

Given his age, Haaland might be content to remain with Dortmund through the 2022-23 season. The club is one point behind Bayern Munich for the top spot in the Bundesliga, though its 4-0 loss to Ajax on Tuesday in the Champions League was a humbling result.

In general, winning a league title or achieving continental success could be difficult at Signal Iduna Park given the way Bayern cannibalizes the competition. That and the pay raise he can earn provide obvious reasons to look at all of his options next summer.

Manchester United reportedly still plans to make a major push to sign Borussia Dortmund superstar Erling Haaland next summer despite Tuesday's signing of Cristiano Ronaldo.

ESPN's Mark Ogden reported Wednesday the Ronaldo reunion "will not impact" the Red Devils' pursuit of Haaland, who can trigger a €75 million release clause in his contract after the 2021-22 season.

The Ronaldo situation came together quickly during the final stages of the transfer window. Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri said Aug. 21 the five-time Ballon d'Or winner hadn't expressed interest in leaving the Italian club, but that changed over the following week and set the stage for his return to Old Trafford.

Ogden reported the agreement to bring back the 36-year-old Portuguese legend was "financed outside" United's planned transfer budget, but it still won't impact the future pursuit of Haaland.

The Red Devils are expected to face competition from several European giants, including Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, for the 21-year-old Norwegian sensation, per Ogden.

Haaland is coming off a tremendous season for Dortmund in which he recorded 37 goals and 10 assists across 36 appearances in the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League. He's off to another fast start, tallying three goals and two assists in the first three domestic league matches this term.

The dynamic striker has been a coveted target for the last several transfer windows, but so far he's not been keen on trying to force his way out of Westfalenstadion.

"Well, I have a contract for a couple of fine years, so I am respectful towards my contract," Haaland told reporters in May.

He's under contract through June 2024, but the release clause next summer could make a transfer financially viable for many of Europe's biggest clubs.

Beating out the likes of Bayern, City, PSG and Real Madrid for Haaland would be a major statement for United as it looks to regain its status as an annual contender in Europe. It last won the Premier League in 2012-13 and the Champions League in 2007-08.

Ronaldo, who scored 33 goals between Serie A and the UCL last season, can provide a short-term boost in that quest, but Haaland is potential a long-term building block for United.

Bayern Munich left back Alphonso Davies wrote a letter to the six members of the Refugee Paralympic Team ahead of the 2021 Summer Paralympics, which begin Tuesday in Tokyo.

Davies, who was born in a refugee camp in Ghana before moving to Canada at a young age, labeled it a "note for the world's most courageous sports team" and said the athletes have the "power to inspire others:"

Davies is a global goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), an agency dedicated to improving the lives of refugees around the world.

"My own experiences make me want to speak up for refugees, to share their stories and to help make a difference," the 20-year-old Bayern star said after accepting the role in March.

Here are the members of this year's Refugee Paralympic Team:

• Ibrahim Al Hussein (Syria)

• Parfait Hakizimana (Burundi)

• Alia Issa (Syria)

• Abbas Karimi (Afghanistan)

• Anas Al Khalifa (Syria)

• Shahrad Nasajpour (Iran)

Issa is the first woman to compete as a refugee in the Paralympic Games. She will try to secure a gold medal in the women's club throw.

"Sport has given me independence," Issa said in May. "I am now suddenly part of a new community, making new friends with similar goals."

Al Hussein and Nasajpour also competed at the 2016 Rio Paralympics under the banner of Independent Paralympic Athletes.

The Tokyo Games mark the first official appearance for a Refugee Paralympic Team, which is led by American Ileana Rodriguez, a refugee from Cuba who was chosen as the chef de mission for the squad after previously competing in the 2012 London Paralympics.

"All Paralympians have a story of struggle. But with refugees, you add another level of complexity to this," Rodriguez said in June, per sportanddev.org. "Seeing their attitude, and seeing how they portray their stories of hope, their courage, it is mind-blowing, even for an athlete like myself."

The Tokyo Paralympics are scheduled to run from Tuesday through Sept. 5, with more than 4,500 athletes expected to compete in more than 500 events.

Former Bayern Munich star Gerd Muller died Sunday at the age of 75, the club announced in a statement.

"Today is a sad, dark day for FC Bayern and all its fans," Bayern President Herbert Hainer said. "Gerd Muller was the greatest striker there’s ever been, and a fine person and character of world football. We're all united in deep mourning with his wife Uschi as well as his family. FC Bayern wouldn’t be the club we all love today without Gerd Müller. His name and memory will live on forever."

Muller appeared in 607 competitive matches for Bayern Munich from 1964-79, scoring 566 total goals. His 365 Bundesliga goals remains a record in the league, while he was the top scorer in Germany's top flight seven different times.

He set a Bundesliga record with 40 goals in a single season that stood until Robert Lewandowski scored 41 for Bayern Munich in 2020-21.

During his stretch with Bayern Munich, Muller led the club to four league titles, four DFB Cup trophies and three European Cups.

The striker also excelled for the West German national team, leading the squad to the 1974 World Cup title and 1972 European Championship. He scored 14 goals across his two appearances at the World Cup.

Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn discussed the superstar Sunday:

The news of Gerd Muller’s death deeply saddens us all. He’s one of the greatest legends in the history of FC Bayern, his achievements are unrivalled to this day and will forever be a part of the great history of FC Bayern and all of German football. As a player and a person, Gerd Müller stands for FC Bayern and its development into one of the biggest clubs in the world like no other. Gerd will forever be in our hearts.

Muller was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and made his last public appearance in 2013. 

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski set a new Bundesliga single-season record by scoring his 41st goal during Saturday's match against Augsburg.

Lewandowski corralled a rebound in the 90th minute and used some fancy footwork to create space before sliding the ball into the net to set the new standard in a 5-2 win:

The 32-year-old Poland international shared the record with former Bayern star Gerd Muller, who held the three highest totals—40 in 1971-72, 38 in 1969-70 and 36 in 1972-73—before the dominant campaign from Lewandowski, who broke the mark in the final match of the term.

It's the fourth straight season and the sixth time in the past eight years Lewandowski finished atop the Bundesliga's scoring list, a run that includes time with both Bayern and Borussia Dortmund.

The Bavarians had long locked up the domestic title before Saturday's fixture, finishing 13 points ahead of second-place RB Leipzig in the table, so Lewandowski's pursuit of the record represented the only major drama heading into the last match.

Lewandowski commented on Muller after he tied the mark of 40 last Saturday:

"It's a great honor. For me, but also for the modern history of the Bundesliga in Germany. That makes me happy. It was a legendary record that lasted for a long time. What Gerd Muller did was incredible. I never thought that I could manage to have a record with him. I am very proud and still can't believe it. I still need some time. The record belongs to the whole team. Not only my name is on the list, but that of the whole team."

Muller still holds the all-time Bundesliga mark with 365 career goals.

Along with the 41 goals, Lewandowski picked up seven assists in 29 league matches this season. He added five goals in six Champions League appearances.

Bayern also secured trophies from the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and DFL-Supercup throughout the 2020-21 season.

Mino Raiola, the agent for Erling Haaland, said Saturday the Borussia Dortmund striker's price tag won't be prohibitive for some of Europe's top clubs in the summer transfer window.

Raiola confirmed to AS' Marco Ruiz that Dortmund has told him it's not interested in a sale, but he believes European giants Real Madrid, among others, can certainly afford the likely massive transfer fee to convince the Bundesliga side to let him go.

When asked if the La Liga outfit could make an acceptable bid for the Norwegian, Raiola said: "I don't know if they can afford him, because I've haven't studied their books. But I think they can. I think they all can. The question is different: Can Madrid afford not to buy Haaland? And Barca?"

Haaland will be one of the most coveted players available this summer if Dortmund eases from its stance about trying to keep him, a decision that may be directly related to how much opposing clubs can offer considering the financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

Raiola explained to Ruiz that Dortmund's lack of interest in a sale hasn't stopped the European giants like Barcelona, Juventus, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid from lining up for talks after the 2020-21 season:

"Haaland is interested in two things. Scoring goals, because he's a little bit like Cristiano or Zlatan...it's his obsession, in a positive way. And winning titles. No doubt he'll pick somewhere where he feels those two things go together best for him. It's really hard to lie. When a club like Barcelona or Real Madrid comes in for you, with so much history and being such a big club, it's hard to say no. PSG is getting into his group of big clubs, City is trying, Juve have always been there. The league they play in is important too. PSG plays in the worst league of the big clubs. Bayern are in an attractive league, but we know they always win it. In Spain there are three clubs with a chance."

Haaland has been in peak form for much of the term for Dortmund. He's recorded 35 goals and seven assists in 34 appearances between the Bundesliga and the Champions League.

The 20-year-old Norway international has firmly established himself as one of the world's most dynamic attackers, and he'd provide an instant boost to any frontline in Europe.

Raiola noted whenever Haaland becomes available for transfer, whether it's this summer or in the future, it won't be a matter of simply which club offers the most money.

"No, no...my job is to maximize the economic performance of the player, but it needs to be a major project," he told Ruiz. "You can't buy a footballer without having a plan or a project for the future. Real Madrid and Barcelona have changed a lot in this sense. They had an era when they bought players who had little future. They had to leave soon after. The rotation of players was too quick."

The agent, who also works for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and others, added Haaland hasn't provided any preferences about the league or club where he wants to land, and it's best to compile a list of potential suitors and then let the player go through the process from there.

For now, the standout striker is focused on trying to help Dortmund earn a Champions League berth. BVB are two points behind Wolfsburg and one point behind Eintracht Frankfurt for the final two UCL spots out of the Bundesliga with three matches remaining.

But first, the club hosts the DFB-Pokal semifinal against Holstein Kiel on Saturd

Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick told reporters after his club's 3-2 win over Wolfsburg on Saturday that he would be stepping down from his post after the season. 

"I told the team today that I informed the club during the week, after the game in Paris, I would like to terminate my contract at the end of the season," he said. 

All indications are that Flick will become the next manager of the German national team, according to football journalist Fabrizio Romano:

Flick, 56, has been in charge of Bayern since November 2019, leading the team to Bundesliga, Champions League and German Cup triumphs in the 2019-20 campaign. 

This year has been more of a struggle, with the Bavarian powerhouse bowing out in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals and losing in the second round of the German Cup to second-tier side Holstein Kiel, though the team sits atop the Bundesliga table after 29 games played and holds a comfortable seven-point cushion over RB Leipzig. 

Alex Richards of the Mirror reported that Flick "has fallen out with sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic" over the club's transfer business, specifically the departure of midfielder Thiago Alcantara to Liverpool and the failure to sign a backup for star striker Robert Lewandowski.

As for who might replace him at Bayern, Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann is believed to be the frontrunner:

Flick has had a fantastic—if brief—run at Bayern Munich. His shoes will be big ones to fill, though a club of Bayern's stature should be able to land its preferred replacement. 

The West German FA (WDFV) is drawing criticism for requiring a Borussia Monchengladbach under-23 coach train the women's team as a form of punishment, according to ESPN's Stephan Uersfeld. 

Uersfeld wrote Heiko Vogel was banned for two matches for "unsporting behaviour" toward the officials during a U23 match in January. As a consequence, he received a €1,500 fine and was ordered to coach a women's or girl's team for six training sessions.

German football journalist Nicole Selmer explained the obvious issue with the decision.

"It shows that at whatever level women and girls play football, they are not taken as serious as men and boys," Selmer said. "This punishment for the Gladbach coach puts coaching a women's team on a level with social work. But it's not like that. Women's football is a sport, and those who participate in it are as professional as their male counterparts.

"If you strip away everything and give it to them they have good intentions, it is still sending a fatal message, as coaching a women's or girls' team is part of a punishment for a misconduct."

The WDFV declined to comment, telling Uersfeld the ruling was "pending litigation."

The Gladbach women sit third in the northern group of Germany's second division. They're unbeaten through two matches and play Cloppenburg on Sunday.

Vogel has completed his two-match ban and will be back coaching the U23 team on Saturday.

Bayern Munich announced left back Alphonso Davies is expected to miss at least six weeks after suffering a ligament injury in his right ankle during Saturday's match against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Davies was injured and removed from the fixture after just three minutes. He was replaced by Lucas Hernandez. Bayern won 5-0.

The 19-year-old Canada international was making his first start since Oct. 15 against Duren in the DFB-Pokal. Hernandez was in the starting XI for a Bundesliga win over Arminia Bielefeld and a Champions League triumph over Atletico Madrid.

Bayern manager Hansi Flick said the lineup change wasn't as much a demotion for Davies as it was a chance for the teenage sensation to "recharge."

"For a young player like Alphonso Davies, it's not easy due to the sheer number of games last season and the short preseason," Flick told reporters. "We've deliberately given him the time to recharge—mentally and physically—and that's what he's been doing."

Teammate Thomas Muller wished the defender the best during his recovery:

Hernandez should draw a vast majority of the starts at left back over the next two months.

Davies is a strong bet to regain his starting role once healthy.