Bayern Munich and Los Angeles FC have joined forces in an agreement designed to bolster both clubs' development of young players.

The Bundesliga champions and the MLS Cup holders have set up a joint venture named "Red&Gold Football" based in Munich, with the aim of developing players for both teams internationally.

Bayern chief executive Oliver Kahn said the partnership with LAFC will enable Bayern to continue to compete with their European rivals, saying improvements in the quality of MLS will benefit the Bavarian giants.

"On an international level, soccer is developing rapidly, which is also evident in the transfer market," Kahn told the club's website. 

"We see this partnership as an opportunity to strengthen FC Bayern in the sporting competition with the best clubs in Europe and the Bundesliga. 

"The fact that the 2026 World Cup will largely take place in the United States, where we already have an office in New York, makes Los Angeles even more attractive. 

"I expect a boost in quality and young talent in Major League Soccer, which will have a positive impact on our partnership."

LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington said: "A partnership of this magnitude is the next step in our evolution as a club. We are extremely excited to work together with FC Bayern to identify and develop young talent in Southern California and beyond.

"We believe this relationship will provide players throughout our systems with the ability to maximise their potential and see a clear pathway to first-team football."

The sides envisage the partnership could grow to include other clubs and development academies across the game in the future "as part of a global development initiative".

Ruud Gullit advised Harry Kane to "be selfish" and leave Tottenham in pursuit of trophies amid reported interest from Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

The England captain took his tally of Premier League goals this season to 20 with a brace against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, the sixth campaign he has hit the figure – only Alan Shearer (seven) having done so on more occasions.

However, a poor start to the month has seen Spurs exit the Champions League at the hands of Milan and eliminated from the FA Cup by second-tier Sheffield United, ensuring the London side will endure another season without a trophy.

Kane has twice finished runner-up in the EFL Cup with Spurs (2014-15 and 2020-21), as well as suffering defeat in the 2018-19 Champions League final against Liverpool, while Spurs' last trophy was the EFL Cup in 2007-08.

Gullit said if he was in Kane's situation, he would seek an exit and believes silverware is the only thing that matters when your career comes to an end.

"If it was me, I would be selfish and I would say, 'look, I'm going,'" Gullit, who won majors honours as a player and manager, told BeIN Sports.

"The worst part is always that you have a lot of players who are always loyal, but they didn't win anything. What is there for you? You want to win trophies? Is that true or not?

"If you're not good enough, the club says, thank you very much, right? If the clubs themselves are not good enough, then I have to go and try to get trophies.

"I can just talk about myself. I started at a lower club and could not win anything. So I went to a club that was a little bit bigger. Thankful to play with Johan Cruyff. Johan Cruyff said to me, 'Ruud, if you make the decision to leave, there's going to be paraphernalia because the fans will not be happy because you are a good player.'

"But you have to think about yourself. So I did. I went to PSV Eindhoven, the fans didn't like it. I won two trophies, and then I went to Milan.

"PSV fans don't like it, but you want to win trophies. After your career is all about what you have on your CV."

England's top clubs are reportedly investigating what it would take to pry Joao Palhinha away from Fulham at the end of the season.

Palhinha, 27, is in his first Premier League campaign after arriving in a £17million move from Sporting CP in July, and he immediately forced his way into Marco Silva's first team.

All 24 of his league appearances this season have come as a starter, and his three goals for the surprisingly competent Cottagers match his best return for a league season.

But the area he shines is on the defensive side, tallying the most tackles of any midfielder in Europe's big five leagues this season, and he has been a driving force behind his side's rise from Championship winners to a top-half Premier League outfit.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL, MANCHESTER UNITED AND ARSENAL CIRCLE PALHINHA

According to The Sun, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham are all showing interest in Portugal international Joao Palhinha.

The report states that it is believed Palhinha's terrific debut season in England – as well as the four years remaining on his contract – has more than doubled his transfer value to over £40m.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail adds that Liverpool are considered "the most serious suitor", and estimates that his value could reach £60m.

ROUND-UP

– The Athletic is reporting Manchester City will be at the front of the queue to sign 26-year-old left-back Ben Chilwell if he is part of an expected mass exodus from Chelsea at the end of the season.

– According to journalist Nicolo Schira, Paris Saint-Germain have joined Chelsea and Manchester United as clubs keen on breakout 24-year-old striker Victor Osimhen at Napoli.

– Inter are considered the favourites to land Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram when he leaves the club on a free transfer at the end of the season, per Calciomercato.

– Sport is reporting in-demand 18-year-old Athletico Paranaense forward Vitor Roque would favour a move to Barcelona after rejecting an approach from Arsenal.

– According to Marca, Real Madrid are stepping back from their long-term pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe.

Thomas Muller will be left out of Hansi Flick's upcoming Germany squad, but the head coach has not "shut the door" on the Bayern Munich forward.

Muller is fourth on his nation's all-time caps list (121) behind only Lothar Matthaus (150), Miroslav Klose (137) and Lukas Podolski (130), while his tally of 44 goals puts him seventh.

A World Cup winner in 2014, the 33-year-old said he would contemplate his international future following Germany's group-stage exit from the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Muller has been directly involved in 11 goals for Bayern this season (scored four, assisted seven), with only Jamal Musiala (eight) registering more assists for the Bundesliga leaders.

However, Flick revealed the forward will play no part in the friendlies against Belgium and Peru later this month, though the head coach has left the door open for a potential return with Germany hosting next year's European Championship.

"I discussed with Thomas that he will not be called up to the games in March and June," Flick told Suddeutsche Zeitung.

"I want to give younger players a chance with the national team. But that doesn't mean that his Germany career is over or that he won't play a role at the Euros.

"He sees things the way I do. As a national team player, you don't retire. You either get a call-up or you don't, and he's now on hold until the summer.

"Why would I shut the door on a player like that forever? Look at his current importance for Bayern. He's totally important again, and I'm very happy for him."

Flick also insists there are no guarantees that Manuel Neuer will remain his first-choice goalkeeper upon his return from injury, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen or Kevin Trapp likely to be handed opportunities in the friendlies.

The Bayern captain, and Germany's most-capped goalkeeper with 117 appearances, is out for the season having broken his leg during a skiing trip shortly after the World Cup.

"The performance concept is in the foreground," Flick added. "There's nothing set in stone — Manu knows that.

"I am convinced that he will reach his performance limit when he becomes 100 per cent fit again."

Sadio Mane hopes Joao Cancelo will sign permanently for Bayern Munich after the previously out-of-favour full-back shone against Augsburg.

Cancelo, long seen as a key man at Manchester City, lost his place in Pep Guardiola's team and joined Bayern on loan in January.

The Portugal international started four consecutive games at Bayern, providing assists in each of his first two appearances, although he was substituted in all four.

After Cancelo was withdrawn at half-time of the Champions League first leg against Paris Saint-Germain, he lost his place in the side and only returned to the XI on Saturday.

There had been reports of Cancelo's discontent prior to the Augsburg match, but he completed the 90 minutes, scored one goal and created another.

No player made more tackles, and the mood music around Cancelo appeared to change afterwards, returning focus to the possibility of a transfer at the end of the season.

"What a player," forward Mane told Sport1. "We saw again that Joao is one of the best in the world.

"So good, really, we are very happy that he plays with us.

"I would love to see him with us next season. That's the kind of player we need, for sure."

That is a decision that will rest with the Bayern hierarchy, but Cancelo's performance also looked to have won over sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.

"He is a sensational player," Salihamidzic told reporters. "He's trained really well in the last week and found that desire and greed again.

"Hardly any other player in Europe is that good in small spaces."

Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League last-16 exit has prompted speculation about a squad overhaul.

Neymar's future in the French capital is in doubt, while pressure has ramped up on head coach Christophe Galtier.

PSG will be an interesting watch during the next transfer window as they show their hand on their future direction.

TOP STORY – PSG PLOT MOVES FOR SILVA AND DEMBELE

Paris Saint-Germain are plotting off-season moves to sign Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva and Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele , according to Diario Sport.

The Parisiens are monitoring Dembele's status at the Blaugrana with only one year left on his contract, with a €50million release clause.

Barcelona have been linked with Silva but may struggle to facilitate that deal given €65m asking price, with PSG better placed to table that figure.

The report claims PSG's move for Dembele hinges on Neymar and whether he stays in Paris.

  
ROUND-UP

– AS reports Real Madrid are still angling to sign PSG's Kylian Mbappe after a long courtship. The report claims Los Blancos want to sign him as a free agent when his contract expires in 2024 and have prioritised him over Man City's Erling Haaland .

– Tottenham are ready to launch a move to sign Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford on a cut-price deal, according to The Sun. The report claims Pickford has a clause in his new Everton deal, signed last month, if they are relegated although the Toffees are understood to want around £35m.

– PSG are planning a bid for Villarreal defender Pau Torres in the next transfer window, reports The Mirror. Manchester United opted against signing him last year.

– Barcelona 's top priority in the off-season is to sign Athletic Bilbao defender Inigo Martinez , according to Sport.

– Calciomercato claims Milan have cooled their interest in Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita as his wage demands are beyond what they can offer.

– Bayern Munich continue to monitor the status of Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic , reports Calciomercato.

Edin Terzic bemoaned the way Borussia Dortmund were drawn into a "wild" Revierderby after Schalke twice came from behind to damage their rivals' title hopes in a dramatic 2-2 draw.

Dortmund were chasing a club record ninth consecutive Bundesliga win when they faced their fierce rivals on Saturday, having played their way into contention with Bayern Munich at the summit. 

While Nico Schlotterbeck's 38th-minute drive put them in the ascendency, Marius Buelter restored parity before Kenan Karaman did likewise after Raphael Guerreiro struck on the hour mark.

The result ended a run of four consecutive Revierderby wins for Dortmund, who sit two points adrift at the top of the table after Bayern's thrilling 5-3 win over Augsburg earlier on Saturday.

Speaking after the draw, Terzic said Schalke had succeeded in dragging Dortmund into an end-to-end contest, which worked to the relegation-threatened hosts' advantage.

"We said before the game that there were two options," Terzic said. 

"[Either] we get involved with Schalke's emotional and passionate game, and then it gets tight. Or we stay clear and try to win the game with football. 

"We showed that in the first half. We had a lot of good phases there, in which we controlled both the ball and the opponent. We were able to create a lot of clear chances. 

"We stopped that in the second half and then it got wild – just like Schalke wanted it to be. In the end we gave up the win and go home with a draw."

The draw means Schalke and Dortmund remain the only two Bundesliga teams to have gone unbeaten since the mid-season break, with Thomas Reis' men just one point adrift of safety after a run of seven games without defeat.

Julian Nagelsmann is keen to keep in-demand defender Benjamin Pavard at Bayern Munich after he scored twice in the Bundesliga leaders' thrilling 5-3 win over Augsburg on Saturday.

Mergim Berisha opened the scoring for Augsburg early on, but Bayern surged into a 4-1 lead by the break as Joao Cancelo and Leroy Sane struck either side of Pavard's brace.

While Berisha sealed his own double after the interval and Irvin Cardona also netted late on, Alphonso Davies' goal ensured Bayern sealed a fourth successive win in relative comfort.

Last November, Pavard discussed the possibility of leaving Bayern for a new project, and with the France international's contract due to expire next year, he has been linked with Barcelona, Inter and Manchester United.

Having seen the 26-year-old mark his 150th competitive Bayern outing with his first double for the club, Nagelsmann said: "Of course I want to keep Benjamin at Bayern. 

"Playing in that position that he loves as a centre-back… he played very well today. So yes, I'd love to keep him."

Despite seeing Augsburg put to the sword in a typically ruthless Bayern performance, Nagelsmann was not impressed with some aspects of the hosts' display.  

"I'm happy with the result. It's job done today, that was important," Nagelsmann said.

"It was very similar to the game in the DFB-Pokal against Augsburg [a 5-2 win in October], it was a bit chaotic right from the start. We conceded the goal right away.

"Then we played really well for 30 minutes, everything was done well on our offensive side. In the second half, we did not have as much control or pressure any more.

"The game was a little bit too open in my opinion, we could have scored a couple more goals, but the result is above everything. 

"Not everything was perfect on the offensive or defensive side, but all in all, it's all about the three points."

Benjamin Pavard helped himself to a first-half double and Joao Cancelo scored his first Bayern Munich goal as the Bundesliga leaders beat Augsburg 5-3 in a thriller.

Mergim Berisha's early goal stirred Bayern into life at the Allianz Arena, where they were out of sight at half-time.

Cancelo equalised before Pavard struck twice in his 150th competitive game for the club and Leroy Sane made it 4-1 at the interval.

Berisha pulled one back with a penalty, but Alphonso Davies restored Bayern's three-goal advantage.

Irvin Cardona then struck in stoppage time for Augsburg, but Bayern had already done enough to move three points clear of Borussia Dortmund ahead of their rivals' Revierderby against Schalke later on Saturday.

Berisha stunned the champions by opening the scoring in the second minute, taking one touch to turn Cancelo too easily before firing home from inside the box.

Cancelo made amends by rifling into the far corner of the net with his right foot after turning Mads Pedersen inside out and Pavard put Bayern in front with a close-range volley four minutes later after Sadio Mane, making his first start since November, set him up with an overhead kick.

Pavard struck again with a spectacular finish, propelling himself up with his left foot and firing in with his right 10 minutes before the break.

Sane got in on the act on the stroke of half-time by heading into an empty net after Mane's cross had struck Maximilian Bauer and goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz before looping into his path.

Berisha reduced the deficit from the spot after Matthijs de Ligt was adjudged to have upended Cardona on the hour-mark.

Ruthless Bayern remained in command, though, and Davies finished clinically at the back post after Cancelo picked him out with a brilliant cross.

Cardona capitalised on slack Bayern defending to turn in a Ruben Vargas cross right at the end, but a thrilling contest had long since been settled.

Manchester United have reportedly made Tottenham striker Harry Kane their top priority when addressing their attacking options at the end of the season.

Kane, 29, has already stamped his legacy as one of the Premier League's greatest ever strikers, sitting third on the all-time goals list in the competition with 201. He also owns the record for the most goals ever scored for Tottenham (268) and is tied for the most goals representing England (53).

Despite his decorated personal resume, Tottenham are set for a 15th consecutive season without any silverware, and with their Champions League hopes for next campaign hanging on by a thread, they may have run out of time to prove to their star striker why he should stay.

TOP STORY – UNITED DETERMINED TO BRING KANE TO OLD TRAFFORD

According to the Manchester Evening News, Erik ten Hag has identified Kane as his primary target.

The report adds that they remain interested in Napoli's Victor Osimhen, as well as Benfica's Goncalo Ramos, but Kane is the top priority if they can make it happen.

With only one more season remaining on his contract, Kane will likely get his wish to leave if he decides he will certainly not sign a new deal, as the club would be risking a potential £100million sale if they hold onto him through the next transfer deadline.

But just because Tottenham may sell him does not mean he would land at Old Trafford, with Bayern Munich's well-documented interest still prevalent.

ROUND-UP

– Calciomercato is reporting Inter are interested in bringing in towering 24-year-old Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca from West Ham after a disappointing first season in the Premier League.

– According to Mundo Deportivo, 25-year-old Tottenham striker Richarlison is a candidate to replace Karim Benzema at Real Madrid, while Calciomercato adds Juventus are also keeping a close eye on Richarlison's availability.

– Roberto Firmino has offered his services to Barcelona as he seeks a new team for next season, per Sport.

– Football Insider is reporting Manchester United are in "pole position" to meet the £70m (€79m) asking price to sign 25-year-old Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, despite his repeated comments that he has no interest in leaving Spain.

– Journalist Rudy Galetti claims Chelsea are interested in a pair of 28-year-old centre backs – Aymeric Laporte of Manchester City and Atletico Madrid's Jose Gimenez.

Manchester United have reportedly made Tottenham striker Harry Kane their top priority when addressing their attacking options at the end of the season.

Kane, 29, has already stamped his legacy as one of the Premier League's greatest ever strikers, sitting third on the all-time goals list in the competition with 201. He also owns the record for the most goals ever scored for Tottenham (268) and is tied for the most goals representing England (53).

Despite his decorated personal resume, Tottenham are set for a 15th consecutive season without any silverware, and with their Champions League hopes for next campaign hanging on by a thread, they may have run out of time to prove to their star striker why he should stay.

TOP STORY – UNITED DETERMINED TO BRING KANE TO OLD TRAFFORD

According to the Manchester Evening News, Erik ten Hag has identified Kane as his primary target.

The report adds that they remain interested in Napoli's Victor Osimhen, as well as Benfica's Goncalo Ramos, but Kane is the top priority if they can make it happen.

With only one more season remaining on his contract, Kane will likely get his wish to leave if he decides he will certainly not sign a new deal, as the club would be risking a potential £100million sale if they hold onto him through the next transfer deadline.

But just because Tottenham may sell him does not mean he would land at Old Trafford, with Bayern Munich's well-documented interest still prevalent.

ROUND-UP

– Calciomercato is reporting Inter are interested in bringing in towering 24-year-old Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca from West Ham after a disappointing first season in the Premier League.

– According to Mundo Deportivo, 25-year-old Tottenham striker Richarlison is a candidate to replace Karim Benzema at Real Madrid, while Calciomercato adds Juventus are also keeping a close eye on Richarlison's availability.

– Roberto Firmino has offered his services to Barcelona as he seeks a new team for next season, per Sport.

– Football Insider is reporting Manchester United are in "pole position" to meet the £70m (€79m) asking price to sign 25-year-old Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, despite his repeated comments that he has no interest in leaving Spain.

– Journalist Rudy Galetti claims Chelsea are interested in a pair of 28-year-old centre backs – Aymeric Laporte of Manchester City and Atletico Madrid's Jose Gimenez.

Borussia Dortmund must put their Champions League heartbreak behind them when they attempt to secure a club record ninth consecutive Bundesliga win in the 100th Revierderby against Schalke.

Edin Terzic's side crashed out of Europe's premier club competition in the round-of-16 when they were beaten 2-0 at Chelsea on Tuesday, having won the first leg 1-0.

That ended Dortmund's run of 10 consecutive victories and they felt hard done by, as referee Danny Makkelie allowed Kai Havertz to retake a decisive penalty due to encroachment and he made no mistake after missing his first attempt.

Dortmund must turn their attention back to the battle for the Bundesliga title and resuming their rivalry with relegation-threatened Schalke at the VELTINS-Arena on Saturday, when Marco Reus could make history.

Level on points with Bayern Munich at the top of the table, Dortmund have the opportunity to take their frustration out on the Royal Blues.

Stats Perform picks out the standout Opta data for the big derby.

From Champions League misery to cloud nine?

Dortmund have been licking their wounds since the pain of being consigned to a Champions League exit at Stamford Bridge.

They have no time to feel sorry for themselves, with so much at stake as they strive to dethrone Bayern.

Dortmund could win a club record ninth top-flight game in a row this weekend, having matched their best run with a 2-1 victory over RB Leipzig.

They have previously won eight in a row between 2011 and 2012, then again two years ago. 

Reus can go out on his way

Dortmund stalwart Reus is one goal away from becoming the outright record scorer for the club after he was on target against Leipzig.

That strike was his 159th for the club in all competitions, drawing him level with Michael Zorc.

Reus has been struggling with a cold, so it remains to be seen if he gets the chance to go out on his own in the home of Dortmund's rivals.

The skipper has had a hand in at least one goal in each of his past three Bundesliga games, scoring twice and setting two up.

Derby delight a distant memory for Schalke

Schalke have not only lost their past four encounters with Dortmund, but also failed to score in five matches against their rivals.

The last time they found the back of the Dortmund net was in April 2019, when they celebrated a 4-2 away victory after Reus and Marius Wolf were sent off.

Youssoufa Moukoko scored the only goal of the game when they met in September and Dortmund ran riot when they last travelled to Schalke, Erling Haaland scoring twice in a 4-0 rout just over two years ago – their joint-highest win over the Royal Blues.

Dortmund have only previously won four consecutive games against Schalke when they went on to beat them eight times in a row between 1964 and 1967.

Schalke fighting for their lives

The Royal Blues are battling to avoid relegation after securing promotion back to the top flight last season.

They are making a fight of it under Thomas Reis, securing back-to-back wins over fellow strugglers Stuttgart and Bochum to haul themselves off the bottom of the table.

Schalke had reeled off four goalless draws on the spin before defeating Stuttgart and they are unbeaten in the first six games of the second half of Bundesliga season for the first time since 2006.

This will be a battle between the only unbeaten sides in the second half of the season.

Leroy Sane was hailed by Julian Nagelsmann as "one of the best players in Europe" as the Bayern Munich head coach defended the winger on Friday.

It was reported Sane was slightly late for the start of training on the eve of this weekend's Bundesliga game against Augsburg, and that it could cost him a club fine.

There is a strong chance of Sane starting that match on Saturday, as head coach Julian Nagelsmann gives some a rest after the Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain.

Germany winger Sane has started just 13 of Bayern's 23 domestic league games this season, with Nagelsmann having such an array of talent in attacking midfield roles he has to mix and match.

Similar applies to Serge Gnabry, who like Sane appeared as a substitute in the 2-0 victory over PSG that carried Bayern through to the quarter-finals as 3-0 aggregate winners.

"Each player has their own character. It is important that you respect, accept and deal with the characteristics of the players," Nagelsmann said. "Leroy and Serge have exceptional skills."

On Sane, Nagelsmann said: "His style polarises. I always try to support him. I'm not one to try to change players' characters. He is one of the best players in Europe. We need him.

"The same applies to Serge. They must be aware of their abilities. Both of them say that they can be decision-makers at important moments."

They, along with Sadio Mane and Mathys Tel, are pushing for selection as Nagelsmann must cope without striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting due to injury, while Thomas Muller could take a rest.

Gnabry's late goal against PSG in the second leg capped off a successful tie for Bayern, as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe were kept off the scoresheet over 180 minutes.

Bayern lost 1-0 to Augsburg in September, an early season jolt for the reigning champions who find themselves in a battle for the title with Borussia Dortmund, both teams having 49 points from 23 games.

Joao Cancelo was also only used as a substitute against PSG, with the on-loan Manchester City full-back having yet to ink his place in the Bayern starting XI.

Nagelsmann is open about the fact Cancelo makes his disappointment known when not selected.

"When he plays everything is fine, and when he doesn't play he's not happy. That's normal too," Nagelsmann said. "He's always had a good reaction.

"One training session wasn't that good, but afterwards we had a very good conversation. The conversation was very open and did him a lot of good.

"He's happy again on the pitch. His game is characterised by a certain joy and lightness, which he now has again. So I assume that I will reward him for the good impressions I had of him in training. I'm sure that what he did well in training, he will also do well in the game."

Choupo-Moting has been performing at a high level since taking on the task of leading Bayern's attack, filling the Robert Lewandowski role after his departure for Barcelona.

He has 19 goals this season, but a back problem, which Nagelsmann said was also affecting his leg muscles, keeps him out of contention to face Augsburg.

The coach reported Muller, Matthijs de Ligt, Kingsley Coman and Leon Goretzka have shown signs of fatigue.

"We don't yet know who can start," Nagelsmann said. "We will decide tomorrow how fit everyone is. We'll have to make a few changes because not everyone is at 100 per cent."

Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic said the question of Youssoufa Moukoko's age had never come up in their many discussions, after it was claimed the striker could be four years older than he attests to being.

German publication Bunte this week questioned whether Moukoko was 18 years old, or whether he was 22, citing as evidence a birth certificate.

That was reportedly issued after the birth of a Youssoufa Mohamadou in Yaounde, Cameroon, with the child's date of birth given as July 19, 2000, and the father named as taxi driver Ousman Mohamadou.

Moukoko's stated date of birth is November 20, 2004, and it has been repeatedly asserted during his career that he lived for around 10 years with grandparents in Cameroon before moving to Germany in 2014 to join his father, Joseph Moukoko, in Hamburg.

Joseph Moukoko has insisted he is the player's father.

Bunte also quoted a lawyer for Dortmund youngster Moukoko as denying the player provided false age details, saying: "Youssoufa Moukoko's date of birth is November 20, 2004. This is confirmed by all the official documents that we have, along with his parents."

The teenage Moukoko was a revelation in his early years at Dortmund, scoring 127 goals in 84 appearances at youth level, earning a rapid promotion to the first-team squad.

He has since gone on to represent Germany and featured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup before signing a new Dortmund contract in January.

Terzic was asked in a press conference on Friday about the age debate circling Moukoko, and said: "I don't read Bunte. I exchange ideas with him intensively – I have never spoken to him about that. I can't confirm that it bothers him. The nasty foul in Bremen puts a strain on him."

As Terzic pointed out, Moukoko is out of action at present with an ankle injury sustained against Werder Bremen in February. It means he will miss Saturday's derby against Schalke.

Terzic said: "He's doing well in rehab, improving his performance and feeling better. We hope he will be available to us after the international break."

Dortmund are level on points with Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga with 11 rounds of games remaining.

Uli Hoeness believes Bayern Munich would be "gaga" to sign Harry Kane, but that does not mean the Bundesliga champions will not pursue a move for the England captain.

Another trophy-less season for Tottenham has again prompted discussion over Kane's future.

Bayern are one of a select few clubs seemingly capable of signing a player of that calibre, able to both pay the fee and wages and assure the striker of the potential to finally win silverware.

But honorary president Hoeness has suggested the idea of splashing out on Kane would be "completely gaga".

Hoeness appeared to hint at that sentiment once more in an interview with Sky Sports, although he also explained how Bayern could yet bid for Kane.

"It doesn't go over my desk," Hoeness said. "I'm one of nine members of the supervisory board who have a say in the executive committee when it comes to large expenses of over €25million.

"I've expressed my personal private opinion here. I can imagine that the day is coming a player would go to Bayern and can cost around €100million, but I gave my opinion specifically on the Kane case.

"He's almost 30 years old and last year Tottenham rejected Manchester City's €160million offer."

Asked what role he might have in any discussions around Kane, Hoeness replied: "I would give my private opinion.

"I'm one of nine, and if the other eight say he's going to be bought, then he's going to be bought. That's how it is in a democracy."

Bayern's record transfer remains their €80m signing of Lucas Hernandez from Atletico Madrid in 2019.