Transfers

Bayern Munich sign Israeli goalkeeper Daniel Peretz

After a long search for a new goalkeeper, Bayern Munich have settled on Daniel Peretz of Israel’s U21 squad. Initially he’s expected to be Sven Ulreich’s understudy – until Manuel Neuer returns.

The list of names that have been bandied about this summer as possible replacements for Bayern Munich No. 1 and captain Manuel Neuer is long: David de Gea, who most recently played for Manchester United, Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea, Morocco’s national goalkeeper Yassine Bounou of Sevilla – to name but three.

The job description was as follows: Someone capable of stepping in as a temporary No. 1 – but who wouldn’t kick up much of a fuss when relegated to the bench whenever the real No. 1 returns to action. The 37-year-old Neuer is still in rehabilitation training to recover from the broken leg he suffered on a skiing trip during last season’s winter break.

This search for a No. “1b” ended in failure, in part because clubs from Saudi Arabia pay better than Bayern. In Kepa’s case, a timely opening came up a Real Madrid due to injury.

Therefore, Bayern changed their strategy and believe they have found what they were looking for in 23-year-old Maccabi Tel Aviv goalkeeper Daniel Peretz. Still, he won’t be the temporary starter Bayern were originally looking for. Instead, he is to start his life in Bavaria as the backup to No. 2 keeper Sven Ulreich.

At the same time, though, Bayern’s management have apparently seen enough in Peretz to pencil him in as a replacement for Neuer – at some time off in the future. After all, they’ve signed him to a five-year contract.

“We wish him every success,” Maccabi club chief Mitchell Goldhar was quoted as saying on the club’s website. “We are sad to see Daniel go, but we are also proud in many ways and wish him and his new club, Bayern Munich, the best of luck in the years to come.”

Peretz’ last time between the sticks for Maccabi came on Thursday in the first leg of their Conference League playoff tie against NK Celje of Slovenia.

Since it hadn’t been clear when the much-anticipated transfer would go through, a teary-eyed Peretz had already said goodbye to the fans a few days ago.

“Since I was five years old, I’ve been at this club,” he said at the airport, with a Maccabi scarf around his neck. “Thanks to you guys, I’ve always felt at home here.”

After his last appearance for the blue and yellow against Celje, he then celebrated once again together with the Maccabi ultras, who gave him a fitting send off.

A selection of entries from X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, indicates that there was little, if any bad blood as Peretz left his former team.

“It doesn’t matter if he will be first, second or fourth goalkeeper,” wrote X user RahamimGuy. “This jump from the Israeli league to freaking FC Bayern is something my mind can’t grasp.”

Still, there are some who are already questioning whether he’s doing himself and his career a favor by moving to the Bayern bench.

“In my eyes: a sexy transfer, but one that won’t do him any good short term, maybe in the far future,” wrote X-User Mxalp3000.

Peretz, who has German as well as Israeli citizenship due to his mother’s heritage, attracted attention with good performances at the U21 Euros. He made numerous saves in the preliminary round match against Germany, including two penalty kicks. In the quarterfinal against hosts Georgia, Peretz made the difference by saving three penalties in a shootout.

“You could say penalties are my thing,” the goalkeeper said afterwards.

In the semifinal against eventual tournament winners England, Peretz was ruled out due to yellow cards. Israel lost 3-0.

Peretz’ possible move to Bayern was such a big topic in Israel this summer, that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got into the act.

“By the way, we are also looking into delivering Daniel Peretz for the German defense system,” the premier said after a deal was reached for Israel to deliver its Arrow 3 air defense system to Germany.

Transfers

Barcelona Express Interest In Bosman Deal For Tottenham Target; Arsenal Also Keen

Tottenham Hotspur have been looking to bring in a fullback (particularly a left back) in the 2025 transfer interval as the North Londoners look to add more depth and dynamism in the position given consistent injuries to Destiny Udogie, and the Lilywhites have reportedly identified Crystal Palace ace Tyrick Mitchell as a potential target.

The 25-year-old has been impressing at Selhurst Park with not only his attacking contributions but also his solid defensive performances, which makes him an attractive option for the Lilywhites. Moreover, the England international’s ability to play in a traditional full-back role as well as in a more advanced wing-back role.

This versatility and ability are something Ange Postecoglou has used well with Ugodie, and he wouldn’t mind having a player with similar intent in his roster.

Tottenham have competition to sign Mitchell

The North Londoners bid to bring Mitchell to White Hart Lane won’t be an easy one with Spanish giants Barcelona expressing interest in his signature, per the latest report by Sport.

Mitchell will be free to negotiate a pre-agreement with the Catalan giants next month given his contract situation with the Eagles, and he could be ready to take the next steps in his career.

Spurs north London rivals Arsenal are also in the run for the 25-year-old’s signature.

Daniel Levy has to gear up for a highly competitive transfer race given the interest in Mitchell’s signatures.

Transfers

Juventus Want To Seal Move For Milan’s Fikayo Tomori Quickly

Serie A giants Juventus are keen to sign Milan defender Fikayo Tomori and want to seal their move quickly.

La Gazzetta dello Sport report today that Milan and Juve could meet each other on the negotiation table right after they play their games in the Supercoppa Italiana.

Tomori is someone that Juve have liked in the past and his name is at the top of the club’s shortlist again, largely due to his low gametime at Milan.

Negotiations with the Englishman will be unrelated to those involving Pierre Kalulu. Milan are open to selling the player but do not want to make any discounts. Juve are looking to close the move as soon as they can once they return from Saudi Arabia and want to get a deal done for a package that could be upto €25 million.

It could be an initial loan deal with the obligation to buy, with manager Thiago Motta already having given approval for the move.

Transfers

PSG Ready To Hand Bukayo Saka Injury Solution To Arsenal With Transfer Proposal

Bukayo Saka Update Emerges After He Went Off Injured Against Crystal Palace On Saturday

Paris Saint-Germain are likely to offer Arsenal the chance to sign out-of-favour forward Randal Kolo Muani.

Arsenal have been hit with the news that star man Bukayo Saka will be ruled out for ‘many weeks’ with a hamstring tear and are weighing up whether to find a solution to his absence in the January transfer window. Saka, 23, has played the fourth-highest amount of minutes among Arsenal’s outfielders this season and the Gunners don’t have a natural right winger to replace him with.

His injury has given Mikel Arteta a dilemma as the winter window nears but PSG could have the answer to his problem in the shape of Randal Kolo Muani. The 26-year-old was signed for £64.2m in the summer of 2023, having shone for Eintracht Frankfurt, when he attracted interest from Manchester United. Kolo Muani was expected to play a larger role under Luis Enrique following the departure of Kylian Mbappe, but he’s only started two matches in Ligue 1 this season and played just 28 minutes of football in the last month.

The France international has now been made available on loan, despite being under contract until 2028, and the Evening Standard report that the French champions will offer him to a number of clubs in January, including Arsenal.

Saka’s absence has been compounded by an injury Raheem Sterling, who would’ve been in contention to replace him in the Gunners’ starting line-up against Ipswich Town on Boxing Day. Asked about the prospect of signing a replacement for Saka next month, Arteta insisted that his focus is on players who are already at the club.

“My focus honestly now is just about within the squad the resources we have to be as competitive as we possibly can,” the Arsenal manager said. “We have many, many options to do that. And if something unbelievable [becomes] available and if the club is willing to do it, we’ll have to consider it.”

“Obviously we didn’t predict a situation with Bukayo and Raheem at the same time. We predicted more it would be something else, for example if something happened in the defensive line, but the job is done.

“Then, okay, if something has to happen, we will be open. But the main focus is now, how will we extract still a lot of potential that there is in this squad.”