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If Gianni Infantino is ousted his last moment in front of the entire world will be that World Cup final, when he’s trying in vain to usher Donald Trump off the stage. Which is a fitting epitaph for his time at FIFA sucking up to money and power.

Julian Brandt heads to Ajax. As if seven years of withering on the vine at Dortmund didn’t underline his lack of ambition, a move to the dysfunctional Eredivisie giants certainly does.

New Dortmund signing Konstantinos Karetsas is joining a club in desperate need of a playmaker:

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New Bundesliga transfer show with @danwighton.bsky.social: • Bayern shut up shop for the summer • Stuttgart sign ⁠⁠Leo Sauer • Leverkusen sell Alajbegovic • Dortmund sign Karetsas tinyurl.com/bpufk5f6

Dortmund sign Karetsas, Leverkusen sell Alajbegović & Bayern shut up shopOn the second transfer show of the week, Stefan and Dan sit down to discuss all the biggest transfer stories in the Bundesliga that have broken since our last show!tinyurl.com

Fair play to Aleksander Ceferin. He stood up to the Super League and won and has now - very quickly and with no prior warning - assembled a full boycott of FIFA. Very impressive.

Chelsea have now spent €527m on new defenders since Todd Boehly & Co. took over in 2022. That's just €6m less than Real Madrid have spent on ALL their new signings in that time period. And more than Dortmund, Barcelona and Inter Milan.

Turns out buying a football club and trying to make them Premier League champions or even just a functional top-four contender is about as easy as building a 170km glass city through the desert...

FIFA give off big late-stage capitalism vibes. A federation founded 122 years ago to keep an eye on the rules and regulations for 22 men kicking a ball around a park, now a global corporation that steamrolls over national sovereignty, pays no tax and believes it’s accountable to no one.

Fascinating bit of business from Bayer Leverkusen with Kerim Alajbegovic. Plucked him from the FC Köln academy, effectively sent him out on loan to RB Salzburg for one season and now selling him to Juventus for €33m+. Not a single game for Leverkusen’s first team.

First game of the season. Lovely summer’s evening watching a preseason friendly at Dulwich Hamlet.

RB Leipzig will hold out for €130m in the sale of Yan Diomande. Which will make the winger the second biggest profit on a player in one season or less in the history of football:

Yah Diomande for €130m. Bradley Barcola for €170m. Morgan Rogers for €138m. Just a quick reminder that less than a year ago Bayern signed Luis Diaz for €𝟕𝟎𝐦 and he’s since bagged 49 goals and assists in 51 games for them…

Forgive me father, for I have sinned…

Maxence Lacroix on the verge of a €60m move to Chelsea. Not to be all “I told you so!” but his talent was always so evident at Wolfsburg. Even when he was out of form. Can’t believe Palace swooped in and got him for just €18m, when he could have been an excellent signing for Frankfurt, BVB, etc.

Despite reports to the contrary, what I’ve been told by sources at RB Leipzig is that there is NO agreement in place with any other club for the sale of Yan Diomande.

That Elon Musk interview is a car crash. I know plenty are furious at the Economist for platforming him but if you watch it you’ll see a man given just enough rope to hang himself. He’s a blundering idiot on almost every topic. Quite reminiscent of Boris Johnson as PM, to tell the truth.

A lot of noise around Yan Diomande without an awful lot of action. The player has said he’s happy to stay at RB Leipzig but it seems like someone is working overtime to make sure that isn’t the case.

So far this summer, Premier League clubs have spent 82% of their transfer fees on players from other English clubs. That's more than the next nine countries combined.

Looking at Bayern sign Saibari for €50m and Arsenal sign Tzolis for €40m, then Chelsea sign Rogers for €135m, Man City sign Anderson for €135m and Spurs sign Tonali for €108m... why would any Premier League club buy players from WITHIN the Premier League?!

Xaver Schlager will probably fly under the radar, but I think he'll be a great signing for Forest. Never the flashiest player at RB Leipzig, but hard-working and solid in the middle of the park. And always good for late runs, which lead to goals or assists. Bargain.