Jamal Musiala puts Premier League suitors on alert with transfer admission
- Musiala has entered final two years of Bayern Munich contract
- Premier League's elite all linked with blockbuster transfer
- 21-year-old responds to rumours of return to England
By Tom Gott
Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala has confessed he is "open to everything" as rumours of a switch to the Premier League next summer continue to swirl.
Musiala has entered the final two years of his contract with Bayern and has been heavily linked with a return to England, where Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and former employers Chelsea have all been touted as potential suitors.
Publicly, Musiala has refused to commit his future to Bayern, despite several open pleas from those in charge in Munich, and he has once again confessed his next move remains undecided in the face of significant Premier League interest.
"That's a question I've got before," he told The Times when asked about a possible return to England. "For me, I don't really have a plan or anything. You take on what comes.
"I don't try to think too far forward about where I want to be because situations can always change by the year or by the month. At six years old, I didn't think about being in England at seven. I don't know.
"I'm open to everything but I’m very happy where I am right now.â€
Bayern have made no secret of their desire to tie Musiala down to a new contract, with club president Herbert Hainer the latest in a long line of club officials to discuss his love of the Germany international in the media.
"I have to say that we love our Jamal more than anything," Hainer told Abendzeitung. "He is a once-in-a-century footballer and our first aim is of course to tie him to FC Bayern in the long term."
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Liverpool predicted lineup vs Wolves - Premier League
- Liverpool looking to keep pressure on Man City when they face Wolves
- Alisson expected to return in goal after shaking off hamstring injury
- Choices to make in attack with Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz all in form
Arne Slot will be blessed with many in-form options when deciding his Liverpool team to take on Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday night.
The Reds have scored 11 goals in three games since suffering their first defeat under the Dutchman against Nottingham Forest, with positive starts in both the Champions League and Carabao Cup complimenting their current rank of second in England's top flight.
They are firm favourites against a Wolves side that is yet to win a league game this season, while Slot has also confirmed a major injury boost ahead of kick off.
Here's the Liverpool side that could start in the West Midlands.
Liverpool predicted lineup vs Wolves (4-2-3-1)
GK: Alisson - The Brazilian has missed Liverpool's last two games - though he may have sat out the Carabao Cup victory against West Ham regardless of his fitness - but is expected to be fit to start at Molineux after shaking off a hamstring complaint.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold - Criticism of his defensive skills has been aimed at Alexander-Arnold throughout his career but the England international has revealed he is working hard with new boss Slot to improve that aspect of his game.
CB: Ibrahima Konate - Konate has done well to barge his way into the starting XI after a decent Euro 2024 campaign with France. He followed up his goal in Milan with an assist against Bournemouth before being rested in midweek.
CB: Virgil van Dijk - A return to the team is also on the cards for club captain Van Dijk, who is the joint-highest rated defender on the newly released EA FC 25.
LB: Andy Robertson - The 30-year-old will continue as Liverpool's starting left-back in the Premier League but will also hope for some Champions League game time next week when Bologna visit Anfield.
CM: Ryan Gravenberch - The 22-year-old has made the sitting midfield role his own throughout August and September, impressing with his lively tackling and instinctive interceptions.
CM: Alexis Mac Allister - Mac Allister is proving an excellent foil for Gravenberch, darting forward on the break while displaying all the tenacity required of a modern Argentina international.
RW: Mohamed Salah - Ended a three-game goalless streak by coming off the bench to strike in the win over West Ham. That's a pretty barren run by the Egyptian's standards but he could fill his boots against a Wolves side low on confidence and short of options at centre-back.
AM: Dominik Szoboszlai - Played a little over an hour against Bournemouth before his substitution and should start behind the central striker despite Diogo Jota striking twice from that position on Wednesday.
LW: Cody Gakpo - It was Gakpo's two stoppage-time strikes that really rubbed salt into the Hammers' wounds in midweek. Those goals may well be enough to keep the 25-year-old in the lineup.
ST: Darwin Nunez - The Uruguayan couldn't get among the goals last time out, not taking a single shot at goal, but did set up Gakpo's first. His work out of possession will definitely unsettle Wolves' backline if Slot opts for him ahead of Jota.
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Man City predicted lineup vs Newcastle - Premier League
- Man City back in Premier League action on Saturday at Newcastle
- Pep Guardiola without Rodri and possibly Kevin De Bruyne
- Changes likely after win over Watford in the Carabao Cup
Manchester City's Premier League title hunt continues on Saturday when they visit Newcastle United in the day's early kick-off.
After two games in the space of three days, drawing with title rivals Arsenal before beating Watford in the Carabao Cup, Pep Guardiola has some more squad rotation to do and, to complicate matters even further, is now without midfield star Rodri for the rest of the season.
City do boast incredible squad depth, however, and the former Spain international has plenty of options to turn to when his squad rocks up at St James' Park.
Here's the team Guardiola could deploy away at Newcastle on Saturday.
Man City predicted lineup vs Newcastle (3-2-4-1)
GK: Ederson - Got nowhere near Gabriel or Riccardo Calafiori's strikes last weekend and picked up a booking for incessant complaining. Needs a stronger showing in the cauldron of St James' Park.
CB: Manuel Akanji - Kyle Walker has had a few runouts of late and may need a rest this weekend. While not boasting the right-back's express pace, Akanji has plenty of defensive nous and should relish any potential one-v-ones with Newcastle flier Anthony Gordon.
CB: Ruben Dias - One of many players given a rest on Tuesday, Dias should return to City's starting lineup as their primary leader in defence.
CB: Josko Gvardiol - The Croatian should start in his hybrid defensive role, switching between wide and central areas where required.
CM: Mateo Kovacic - Gvardiol's compatriot wasn't well suited to attempting to break down Arsenal's deep defence last week but his ball-winning abilities and marauding dribbling should be in full force on Tyneside.
CM: John Stones - The England international could be set for a huge season after Rodri's injury blow. Stones grabbed the equaliser against the Gunners but it's his quality in possession that could be vital against Newcastle.
RW: Savinho - The Brazilian speedster rattled the woodwork in midweek after appearing as a second-half substitute but should get a starting brief on Saturday.
AM: Ilkay Gundogan - Gundogan is yet to score since returning to City from Barcelona and, given the problems Guardiola has been presented with in recent weeks, now would be a good time for the 33-year-old to rediscover his lethal streak in the final third.
AM: Phil Foden - The 24-year-old is looking to build on a stellar individual 2023/24 campaign but only got his first start of this season on Tuesday. He rattled off six shots against Watford but only hit the target once.
LW: Jeremy Doku - The Belgian got his first goal of the campaign on Tuesday, starting on the right wing. He should revert over to left at the weekend, with Jack Grealish dropping out of the starting XI.
ST: Erling Haaland - It really was an all-action display from the Norwegian last week. After scoring early on, he went around bashing anyone who got close to him and threw the ball at Gabriel in celebration of Stones' dramatic leveller. He's just gone past 100 goals for City but has only struck once in four previous matches against Newcastle.