Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt has suffered a knee injury at the club’s training camp in Faro, Portugal.

It is unknown how long De Ligt will be out of action but Bayern confirmed he will not be able to train with the squad as they prepare for their match with Werder Bremen on Sunday.

A club statement read: “Matthijs de Ligt has suffered a capsular injury in his left knee during the training camp in Faro, Portugal. The diagnosis was confirmed by FC Bayern’s medical department following an MRI scan.”

The Dutchman missed the training session on Tuesday alongside fellow defenders Dayot Upamecano and new signing Eric Dier, who left the camp ahead of the birth of his first child.

Bayern will continue preparations in Portugal before returning to Germany for the weekend’s fixture as they look to close the gap on league leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Harry Kane equalled Robert Lewandowski’s half-season Bundesliga goalscoring record with a late strike but it was Jamal Musiala who provided the real cutting edge in Bayern Munich’s 3-0 victory over 10-man Hoffenheim.

The England striker clipped home left-footed from 12 yards in added time for his 22nd goal in 16 games to match the man whose number nine shirt he inherited following his summer move from Tottenham. Kane now has next week’s home match against Werder Bremen to surpass Lewandowski’s tally by the halfway stage of the campaign.

But on a night when the death of Bayern great Franz Beckenbauer was marked with a number of tributes – the outside of the stadium emblazoned with the words ‘Danke Franz’ – it was the mercurial talents of the 20-year-old Germany international Musiala which lit up the Allianz Arena and moved his side within a point of leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

The first of his two goals secured a new record for the German champions, who have now scored in 65 successive home league fixtures to beat their own Bundesliga record set between 1970 and 1974.

Musiala opened the scoring in the first half with a shot from a narrow angle which goalkeeper Oliver Baumann could have dealt with better before converting a simpler 70th-minute effort to secure the result on a night of half-chances and missed opportunities.

Grischa Promel’s 74th-minute dismissal for a second yellow card ended the visitors’ hopes of staging a late comeback, although that appeared unlikely after failing to capitalise on their only good spell of the game midway through the second half when Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer marked his 500th club appearance with two good saves.

Bayern’s players all wore Beckenbauer’s number five during the warm-up, their match shirts also carried the words ‘Danke Franz’ and there was a period of silence before kick-off.

Once the game began, the hosts failed to create anything before they took the lead with their first shot in the 18th minute.

Hoffenheim were guilty of switching off as Bayern took a quick corner and that allowed Leroy Sane to picked out Musiala in space and he beat Baumann from the narrowest of angles via the far post.

It was Bayern’s 50th league goal in their 16th game and Hoffenheim’s 12th fixture without a clean sheet.

The only surprise was the home side’s failure to press home their dominance, the winter break appearing to have dulled their invention as all they could muster was a Raphael Guerreiro effort, teed up by Kane, which was comfortably turned around the post.

Hoffenheim’s best of limited opportunities saw Andrej Kramaric’s shot easily caught by Neuer.

Kane thought he had teed up Sane for Bayern’s second 10 minutes after half-time but it was ruled out for offside against the England captain, who continued to look one of Bayern’s biggest threats with a shot narrowly deflected wide.

Musiala then hit the post from distance with Thomas Muller unable to turn home the rebound and Konrad Laimer and Alphonso Davies were both denied by Baumann as Bayern began to ramp up the pressure.

But they were almost made to pay for not taking their chances as Neuer was forced into two great saves, first from Maximilian Beier’s close-range header and then Kramaric as he raced through on goal.

Even when Neuer was beaten by Beier’s volley, the ball crashed against the crossbar and that was to prove even more costly.

Musiala doubled his tally by converting Sane’s return pass and Kane grabbed his customary goal late on.

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel believes his side have taken a “step forward” over the winter break as they set their sights on victory against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Friday night.

Munich have three consecutive home games, starting with the visit of seventh-placed Hoffenheim, as they turn the corner for the final half of the season looking to become champions for a 12th successive season.

They currently sit second in pursuit of that goal, four points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen with a game in hand, and will be looking to keep their home unbeaten run going.

Tuchel thinks his side are improving and has set a clear goal for the remainder of the season.

He told a press conference: “We’ve got the chance on Friday to move closer to Leverkusen.

“We’ve got a very high level but still have room for improvement in the opposition half and in counter-pressing. I’ve got the impression that we’ve taken a step forward in the last week.

“We want to get on a bit of a run with the three home games. The goal is clear that we want to be champions.”

Munich will head off on a four-day training camp to Portugal following the Hoffenheim fixture.

Tuchel is confident that will further improve his squad, giving them the opportunity to train in warm weather with less risk of injury or illness.

He added: “I like training camps with warm temperatures. You can spend more time together.

“We don’t have the extreme cold so can organise the breaks differently. With the cold there’s a greater danger of illness and injuries. The conditions should be perfect to train twice a day.

“We can then continue working more on patterns in attack and defence, set pieces and much more. I’m looking forward to it. I hope we head to Portugal with a win. We can gain a few more percent from it.”

Bayern Munich are expected to confirm the signing of Eric Dier from Tottenham ahead of the game and Tuchel thinks the England international will add great versatility to his team.

The former Chelsea boss said: “Things can always go wrong at the final moment. He’s (Dier) in Munich and we’re trying to finalise the deal. He’d be a good alternative for the squad. We’ll have to wait and see with everything else, but he’s in the city.

“Eric has become a specialist at centre-back. He can play either centre-back position and in a back three. He often used to play in midfield. We’ll see whether it happens or not.

“Patience isn’t my greatest virtue. Every coach wants to have all their players from the first day, but that will never happen. I’m more patient than in the past. I know how complicated the transfer business has become.

“There are a lot of interests and it’s become very complex. Even though Eric is in the city, it’s not done yet. When he signs, we’ll be pleased. We’re always trying to make things happen – not just transfers but also other things. We have ambitious goals.”

Manchester United misfit Jadon Sancho has returned to Borussia Dortmund on loan for the remainder of the season.

The 23-year-old winger claimed on social media in September that he had been made a “scapegoat” after boss Erik ten Hag said he did not reach the “level” required to be involved in their squad at Arsenal.

United later confirmed Sancho would train away from the first-team group “pending resolution of a squad discipline issue”, but a settlement between player and manager was never reached.

The England international has been banished for the past four months and will now look to kickstart his career in familiar surroundings, having returned to Dortmund on a temporary basis.

“When I walked into the changing room today, it felt like ‘coming home’,” said Sancho, who left the Bundesliga side for United in a £73million deal in 2021.

“I know the club inside out, I’ve always been very close to the fans here and I’ve never lost contact with the people in charge.

“I can’t wait to see my team-mates again, get out on the pitch, play football with a smile on my face, get assists, score goals and help the club qualify for the Champions League.”

The PA news agency understands Dortmund are contributing an initial 3.5million euros (£3m) to take Sancho on loan without an option to buy.

That figure could reach 7.5m euros (£6.5m) dependent on appearances and team success as Sancho looks to get his career back on track.

Sancho made the last of his 82 United appearances 141 days ago against Nottingham Forest – one of just three games he has played in this season.

Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl said: “Jadon is an absolute difference-maker and I’m looking forward to seeing him in Black & Yellow again soon. He knows this city, Signal Iduna Park, our fans and our club.

“Even though he hasn’t played any competitive games in recent months, we’re sure that he’ll quickly settle back in with us, find his best form and help us to achieve our season objectives with his qualities.”

Tottenham centre-back Eric Dier will undergo a medical in Germany on Thursday ahead of completing a £4million euros move to Bayern Munich, the PA news agency understands.

Spurs have been willing to listen to offers for Dier since the summer and the defender has started only once under boss Ange Postecoglou this season.

Dier, who only had six months left on his current deal, will now leave England and embark on a new challenge alongside former team-mate Harry Kane at Munich.

Postecoglou made clear at the beginning of the campaign that Dier could leave Tottenham, but he remained following the summer transfer window and eventually made his first appearance in the 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in November.

He was handed a start in Spurs’ next fixture at Wolves, but has only made two substitute outings since and was absent from Friday’s 1-0 win over Burnley in the FA Cup.

Postecoglou insisted it was down to a minor injury, but Bayern had already registered an interest in Dier by that point and they have now reached an agreement with Tottenham over his signing.

Dier has now arrived in Munich for a medical and will leave Spurs just short of a decade’s service in N17.

It continues a busy week for Tottenham with Timo Werner joining on loan on Tuesday and Genoa centre-back Radu Dragusin expected to complete a move to the club on Thursday with Djed Spence heading in the other direction.

Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt have completed the permanent signing of Leeds defender Robin Koch.

The 27-year-old has been on loan in Germany during the first half of the season and has made 23 appearances in all competitions.

He will now stay there after signing a permanent deal until 2027.

Koch made 77 appearances for Leeds after joining in 2020 but was allowed to leave after the club’s relegation to the Championship last term.

Harry Kane produced a long-range stunner to help Bayern Munich close out 2023 with a 2-1 win at Wolfsburg.

Kane fired home from 25 yards in the 43rd minute for his 21st Bundesliga goal of the season to put Thomas Tuchel’s side in control after Jamal Musiala opened the scoring on his landmark appearance.

Wolfsburg captain Maximilian Arnold reduced the arrears on the stroke of half-time with a fine strike of his own, but Niko Kovac’s men were unable to take points off his former side Bayern, who stayed second and four points behind Bayer Leverkusen going into the mid-season break.

Tuchel could only name six substitutes at Volkswagen Arena and remained without Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich.

It was actually Wolfsburg who made the stronger start with Manuel Neuer forced to deny Mattias Svanberg early on, but it was not a sign of things to come.

Kane got his first sight of goal soon after although failed to connect sufficiently enough with his attempted volley as Bayern tried to stamp their authority on proceedings.

The visitors dominated possession and should have broke the deadlock in the 28th minute, but Thomas Muller failed to find the net with two efforts after Leroy Sane’s centre.

Muller, fresh from signing a new contract on Tuesday, headed against the crossbar minutes later before he turned provider with 33 minutes on the clock.

Bayern’s experienced attacker cut inside and produced a superb cross with his left foot that Musiala headed home to mark his 100th Bundesliga appearance in style.

A second assist followed for Muller 10 minutes later, but it was all about Kane as he curled into the top corner from range for his 25th goal in all competitions this season before he celebrated by sliding towards the corner flag.

It was not a perfect half for Tuchel though after Wolfsburg reduced the deficit in stoppage time when Arnold’s swerving effort beat Neuer from long range.

Wolfsburg pressed for a second after the break and had penalty appeals turned down when Svanberg went down in the area following contact from Kim Min-Jae, but play was waved on.

Tuchel reacted soon after with Matthijs de Ligt introduced for his first appearance since November 1 following a knee injury.

Raphael Guerreiro could have sealed the points with 16 minutes left, but his close-range shot was blocked.

Wolfsburg did fashion one late opportunity and Neuer punched away Arnold’s speculative effort.

Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller has extended his contract with the club until June 2025.

The 34-year-old has been with Bayern since he was 10 years old and, since making his senior debut for the club in 2008, he has gone on to amass 684 competitive appearances for the first team, ranking him second in Bayern’s all-time appearance list.

Muller has helped the club win 12 Bundesliga titles, two Champions Leagues, the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup trophies as well as six DFB Cups and eight German Supercups.

On the international stage, the German forward won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Muller told the Bayern website: “I’m happy my journey at Bayern is continuing. I want to play my part in us remaining successful, both as a team and the whole club.

“It’s important to me to be a foundation and to help steer the team in the right direction. I want to excite our fans with goals, helping create goals, my love of the game, my passion for football – and hopefully with many more titles.”

Sporting director Christoph Freund added: “We’re very pleased that Thomas Muller will be staying at FC Bayern for another season.

“He’s a leader both on and off the pitch, always a role model and incredibly valuable for the entire team. Thomas pushes every team with his open and positive manner on and off the pitch.

“The way he plays is extremely clever, for the team, and he’s very versatile in where he can play. Thomas is also almost never injured, always there – just quality and reliability personified.”

Bayern Munich will check on Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich ahead of their final Bundesliga match before the winter break against Wolfsburg.

The midfield pair missed the weekend win over Stuttgart with illness and they are still being monitored.

Goalkeeper Sven Ulreich is not fit to return to the squad so Daniel Peretz will continue to deputise.

“We hope there are no more ill players,” Thomas Tuchel said on the club’s official website. “It’s an hourly update with Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich. It’ll be tight for both. We think the rest are fit.

“It looks like Daniel Peretz will be in the squad again with Ulle not yet back.”

Bayern are guaranteed to go into the winter break in second position in the Bundesliga table following an excellent first half of the campaign by Bayer Leverkusen.

They will have work to do if they are to claim a 12th title in a row, but Tuchel wants his side to finish on a high.

“Our work is always about looking ahead,” he added. “A lot has happened this year. We’re making good progress and are trying to meet our tasks.

“We want to continue developing our team. It’s all good and we’re looking forward to a break. But we want to take the next step in Wednesday’s game.

“We want to be better in possession. Wolfsburg have different tactics from Stuttgart. We’re again expecting a back five.

“We want more of the ball and will now take on a new task. It’s down to us. How good are the movements and distances? Let’s see what challenges the game brings. We hope we can have the right answers.”

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Tuchel is keen to temper expectations of teenager Aleksandar Pavlovic following his breakthrough in the team in recent weeks.

The former Chelsea boss said: “We knew before that we have Aleks and what he can do. He was always good in training. It helps nobody if Aleks is our solution in that position now at 19.

“We’ll do everything that makes sense for the club and youth development. We’re the biggest fans of our own youth players from the Campus. Aleks has earned it with the way he is and how he trains. It’s good if we don’t overpraise someone.

“It’s good what he’s doing. He always has a smile on his face and is very grounded. Quality always comes through.”

Harry Kane racked up his 20th Bundesliga goal in a record 14 games as he fired Bayern Munich to a 3-0 win over Stuttgart on Sunday.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the exploits of the England captain – and his international team-mate Jude Bellingham, who scored again for Real Madrid the same night.

Kane shatters record

Kane’s double against Stuttgart took him to 20 goals in the German top flight 50 per cent quicker in terms of matches than the previous record, held since the Bundesliga’s inaugural season in 1963-64 by Uwe Seeler.

The late Hamburg and West Germany striker scored 20 in his first 21 league appearances for his hometown club and 30 in 30 that season, taking his Hamburg tally to 297 in 267 games after several prolific years in the Oberliga Nord before the formation of the new national top flight.

His record came under threat in 2020 from another name familiar to Premier League fans as Erling Haaland made a mid-season move to Borussia Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg. The Norwegian scored 11 in 15 games in the remainder of that season and began 2020-21 with 10 in seven.

He therefore missed out on Seeler’s record by one game before passing 20 in style with four in a 5-2 win over Hertha Berlin.

Kane, though, has produced an unprecedented start.

He netted on his Bundesliga debut against Werder Bremen and scored twice against Augsburg before being shut out by Borussia Monchengladbach.

A goal against Bayer Leverkusen made it four in four games, followed by a hat-trick against Bochum. Goals against RB Leipzig and Mainz took him to nine in eight games.

He scored eight in his next three, successive hat-tricks against Darmstadt and Dortmund and a brace against Heidenheim, and also scored against Cologne before Sunday’s historic double.

In all he has three hat-tricks and three doubles and has scored in 11 of his 14 league appearances. Four Champions League goals take his Bayern total to 24 in 21 appearances.

The last man to score 20 goals or more in the first half of a Bundesliga season was Kane’s predecessor in Bayern’s number nine shirt, Robert Lewandowski, who had 22 in 2020-21 and went on to score 41 in the season – breaking Gerd Muller’s Bundesliga record of 40, also for Bayern in 1971-72. Muller in 1968-69 was the only other player to reach 20 by this stage.

Golden Boy Bellingham

Bellingham’s form this year earned him Tuttosport’s Golden Boy award in November and the Kopa Trophy at October’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, awarded respectively to Europe and the world’s best young player.

A stunning start to his LaLiga career has raised the possibility of the 20-year-old pushing for the main Ballon d’Or award in future seasons, with Sunday’s opener in Madrid’s 4-1 win over Villarreal being his 17th goal in 20 appearances for the Spanish giants.

That includes 13 in 15 league games, with doubles against Almeria, Osasuna and bitter rivals Barcelona, the latter to earn a last-minute Clasico win after Barca had led 1-0.

He has also scored Champions League goals against Union Berlin, Braga and in both meetings with Napoli to further justify his claim to Zinedine Zidane’s old number five shirt at the Bernabeu.

Harry Kane took his Bundesliga goal tally to 20 by scoring twice as Bayern Munich returned to winning ways with a 3-0 victory over Stuttgart.

Top-scorer Kane struck after only two minutes and the hosts could have been out of sight by the break but for Bayern loanee Alexander Nubel in the Stuttgart goal.

Kim Min-jae and Thomas Muller both had efforts ruled out by VAR in the first half, but Kane doubled their lead early in the second before Kim headed home the third as Bayern remained four points off league leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Bayern were out to bounce back from their 5-1 thumping by Eintracht Frankfurt weekend and got off to the ideal start as Leroy Sane squared the ball for Kane to steer into an empty net.

Stuttgart attacks were few and far between throughout the contest, but Maximilian Mittelstadt’s tame effort was saved comfortably by Manuel Neuer.

The hosts thought they had a second in the 25th minute when Kim nodded home an Aleksandar Pavlovic free-kick, but it was ruled out by VAR with the defender adjudged to be offside.

Bayern threatened again before the half-hour mark as Sane fired straight at the Nubel at the near post.

The former Manchester City winger had another opportunity a couple of minutes later after being teed up by Muller but rolled it wide of a post.

Another chance came and went for Bayern as a Kane effort was superbly parried by Nubel and Jamal Musiala smashed the rebound over the bar.

Another goal was ruled out by VAR when Bayern capitalised on some poor Stuttgart possession and Muller found himself in space before slotting home, with his celebrations cut short by an offside decision.

The hosts finally doubled their lead 10 minutes after the break. Another free-kick from Pavlovic was flicked on by Kim and Kane was at the back post to nod home his 20th Bundesliga goal in only his 14th game.

Bayern kept pressing and had a third eight minutes later as a Pavlovic corner was headed home by Kim via a deflection.

Fourth-placed Stuttgart had another shot on target with 10 minutes to play as Jamie Leweling advanced into the area and cut on to his left foot, but his drilled strike was saved by Neuer to deny them a consolation.

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel insists his side will “give everything” to earn victory over fellow high-flyers Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

Munich bounced back from their humiliating 5-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt with a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Champions League on Tuesday thanks to a second-half strike from Kingsley Coman and Tuchel’s side will be looking to set the record straight in the league again.

Stuttgart sit just one place beneath Munich in the table and could leapfrog the German champions with victory at the Allianz Arena.

Tuchel thinks Sebastian Hoeness’ team deserve their lofty placing due to consistent performances.

He told a press conference: “They’re very consistent. Together they’re greater than the sum of their parts. They deserve to be up where they are. They’re very homogeneous, tactically very flexible.”

“It’s impressive how Stuttgart play. You can see Sebastian’s mark on the team. I think Stuttgart have had a consistent over performance, so there must be good unity between the team and the coach.

“It’s completely deserved, so we’ll give everything our greatest respect and recognise that.”

Coman and Noussair Mazraoui both featured at Old Trafford in midweek but picked up injuries and were subsequently substituted which will rule them out of the clash on Sunday.

The pair will join Serge Gnabry on the sidelines but Tuchel will be hoping to have top scorer Harry Kane in his ranks after an illness.

Tuchel continued: “We’ve got tough games. The fixture list is how it is, we know it beforehand.

“The two injuries on our right side hurt us. They were both in good form. King has had a very good season so far. Nous too.

“It came out of nowhere and hurts because both are important players.

“Harry Kane is a bit ill. We hope he can train again tomorrow. Jamal Musiala is fine.”

Bayern will be looking to extend their unbeaten run at home with a return to winning ways but Tuchel thinks his side need to be at their best to earn a result.

He added: “Everyone wants minutes. It’s even more important now we don’t have as much competition for places that the intrinsic motivation is high.

“We showed that at Old Trafford. It needs to be there again on Sunday. If we won’t match that with the same spirit as Stuttgart show every game, then we won’t win.”

Manchester United midfielder Donny Van De Beek is set to join Eintracht Frankfurt on loan in January, the PA news agency understands.

The 26-year-old joined from Dutch giants Ajax in 2020 for an initial 39 million euros (£34.1m) but failed to make an impact at Old Trafford.

Not even linking back up with Erik ten Hag – the manager Van De Beek flourished under in Amsterdam – has been able to kickstart a career that looks set to continue elsewhere.

Frankfurt are understood to have provisionally agreed to take the Netherlands international on loan in January, subject to a medical. The deal reportedly includes a 15m euros (£12.9m) option to make the move permanent.

PA understands Van De Beek will remain part of United’s absentee-hit squad and continue training with them until that deal is completed.

The midfielder, whose contract expires in 2025, has made only two appearances this term and 62 in total during an injury-impacted spell with the Red Devils.

Van De Beek spent the second half of the 2021-22 season on loan at Everton and a United exit did not materialise over the summer despite interest from a number of clubs. He was not included in their Champions League squad.