"That's not right": Bayer boss is very annoyed by FC Bayern

FC Bayern is back in the game: Bayer Leverkusen is giving up on the championship race. Managing director Fernando Carro also has his hands full. His team structure is falling apart. He also revealed a "gentlemen's agreement" with coach Xabi Alonso.

FC Bayern Munich can redress the balance of power in the Bundesliga this season. The Munich team will lift the championship trophy on May 17. Bayer Leverkusen then loaned them for just a short year. But that was enough time to seriously intensify the rivalry between the two clubs.

Bayer Leverkusen had put themselves in the spotlight with a double, a perfect Bundesliga season, and reaching the Europa League final. The Munich team, who see themselves as the top team, couldn't let things stand. Everywhere. In the sporting world, but also in the media coverage.

It used to be true: Anyone who rebels against Bayern will be attacked by them. It took its toll on the competition. And that's still true. Because in addition to the championship trophy, FC Bayern would like something else – or rather, someone – from Leverkusen: Florian Wirtz. The praises for the German international have been immense for months. Honorary President Uli Hoeneß raves and courts: "If I could have one dream, then I would say that Florian Wirtz has to come to FC Bayern," he told t-online. In between, he fired off media interference. One of them was a meeting with Wirtz's parents at Tegernsee.

The issue was a transfer fee that FC Bayern supposedly couldn't afford at first, but then finally admitted it could. First, he spoke in "Welt am Sonntag" about the need for a "special fund." Then he explained to BR: "It's not like it used to be, where we have 100, 150 million euros in our fixed-term deposit account. But that doesn't mean that FC Bayern isn't a completely healthy club that, if it wanted to, could of course make such a transfer."

"Would be a big coup for us"

Hoeneß's companion, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, also told the "Corriere della Sera": "It would be a major coup for us to convince Wirtz and Leverkusen. He and Musiala are the figureheads of German football, and our philosophy has always been to bring the best Germans to Bayern."

They put Wirtz on a pedestal. And they did so after convincing Jamal Musiala to extend his contract with precisely this argument: he's the best. Just weeks later, it's Wirtz they're suddenly declaring to be the great savior of German football.

The connection between FC Bayern and Wirtz has been mentioned so often, as if it were a reality. Leverkusen has been put on the defensive. Managing Director Fernando Carro isn't amused at all. "I expect him to stay," he said again. Ten days ago, he had already declared that there was "no pain threshold" financially.

Wirtz's contract runs until 2027. According to "Bild," the 21-year-old has had an offer for an extension for weeks. The contract reportedly includes a release clause of around €125 million, which would take effect in 2026. Bayer has not given up hope that Wirtz will still sign.

"No offer from Bayern"

Carro reacted with obvious annoyance to the barrage from Munich, saying that FC Bayern hadn't even submitted an offer for Wirtz to Bayer Leverkusen. "Bayern haven't contacted us. Therefore, there's no offer from Bayern. This is really a show, it's none of my business. It's actually not appropriate," he said.

Wirtz or not, Carro still expects a "minor to moderate upheaval" at Bayer. The most important personnel change in this regard: coach Xabi Alonso. Carro demanded a swift decision on his future. "The coaching position is very important for a club. We're planning the preparations for next season with Xabi Alonso, as well as the squad and transfers. That's why it's important that we have clarity relatively quickly in the next few weeks." He emphasized: "Xabi knows that."

Carro is "confident that we'll have clarity in the next two, three, four weeks," he says, because the club can't wait until the end of the season. Asked about the Alonso issue, he was also asked about his gut feeling: "My gut feeling? My gut feeling is 50/50."

Alonso is repeatedly touted as Carlo Ancelotti's successor at Real Madrid. Following the Royal's early Champions League exit, the Italian's departure this summer is considered certain, according to various media reports. He is expected to become Brazil's national coach. And then Alonso can decide whether he's up for the challenge: "We have a gentleman's agreement that if one of the teams he played for calls, we'll sit down and talk and not put any obstacles in his way," said Carro. In addition to Real Madrid, Alonso played for Real Sociedad, Eibar, Liverpool FC, and Bayern Munich.

So now to FC Bayern?

Wirtz and Alonso are uncertain – but defensive leader Jonathan Tah's decision is final. The German international is leaving Bayer after ten years. "Yes," he will leave the Werkself after his contract expires in the summer, Tah said on Sunday. He has informed the club of this "definitely." Where he will move to is open. He has "no time frame" with regard to signing with a new club. "But the club knows about it. And, as I have always done, I've communicated everything very openly," Tah emphasized. "Everything was said from the beginning. There was a point when I made the decision not to extend my contract and not to stay here. That's how it remains now."

Does the trail lead to Munich once again? While FC Barcelona is the favorite to land Tah, Lothar Matthäus advises FC Bayern to get involved. "If I had a say at FC Bayern, I'd need the best, and Tah is one of the best. I would definitely look into Tah," he wrote in his Sky column. "Bayern made a mistake last summer by not signing Tah," Matthäus wrote, although Munich reportedly made intensive efforts to secure Tah at the time. "But perhaps he'll opt for Bayern again this summer. The FCB defense is a work in progress. There's a lot of uncertainty."

Good news for Leverkusen and Carro: According to Kicker, rumors about a possible departure of midfield strategist Granit Xhaka are apparently unfounded. But there are numerous other names in the mix: Patrik Schick, Jeremie Frimpong, Exequiel Palacios, and Victor Boniface, who had already left but then stayed at the last minute. The fact that Bayer is expected to secure the services of Ibo Maza, who will join from second-division side Hertha BSC, cannot offset this.

No title, a lot of distractions, and possibly no more coach. Fernando Carro has his hands full at Bayer Leverkusen.