Jamal Musiala has released a statement after collapsing for a second time in four days in Bayern Munich‘s 4-2 win over Heidenheim in a pre-season friendly on Tuesday evening.

The German star worryingly collapsed in Bayern’s friendly against RB Leipzig last Saturday (August 15th), fainting just moments after scoring in the 81st minute. He entered the fray during the second half, but after hitting the ground heavily, emergency medical staff rushed to him.

This incident had been attributed to extreme heat and he was medically cleared to play in today’s encounter with Heidenheim. He again came on as a second-half substitute but fell to the ground off the ball just four minutes later.

Musiala Gives Update After Second Collapse

REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth

Both sets of players formed a protective wall around Musiala as medical staff administered first aid, and he eventually got to his feet and managed to walk off the pitch, albeit with support. The short space of time between both collapses raised concerns about the 23-year-old’s health and he has sent a message to fans clarifying the situation.

Musiala released a statement on his Instagram account and informed his followers of the cause behind his fainting:

Given Musiala’s previous episode just four days prior, some were surprised to see him back in action so soon. He insisted that he made the decision to play against Heidenheim:

Musiala added: “Overall, I have a very good feeling and I am on a good path. What helps me most along the way is continuing to chase victories and titles with my team, with your incredible support. I hope this helps you understand me better. At the same time, I ask for your understanding that I would like to continue keeping this matter within the circle of my closest confidants, the club and the experts. Thank you very much. Yours, J.”

Musiala has been with Bayern since 2019, when he joined their youth academy from Chelsea. He had previously spent time in Southampton’s youth system before returning to his country of birth, where he has enjoyed huge success.

The 46-cap Germany international has won six Bundesliga titles at the Allianz Arena and the UEFA Champions League. He sat out the first half of last season due to a broken fibula but returned in time to represent his country at this summer’s World Cup.

Bayern Director Responds to Scrutiny Over Playing Musiala

REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth

Questions were raised about Bayern’s willingness to allow Musiala to play against Heidenheim. The club’s sporting director, Max Eberl responded to one reporter who wanted to know why the Bavarians didn’t prevent him from featuring just days after his first collapse (via iMiaSanMia on X):

Musiala has since taken responsibility for playing in the friendly, which comes just four days before Vincent Kompany’s side face Borussia Dortmund in the DFL Supercup. There’s no word on whether he’ll be available for that game, but the recurring health scares might force the club to give him a period of rest.

Newcastle United have reportedly made Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lucas Bergvall their prime target to strengthen their midfield this summer.

The Magpies have been rocked this summer after losing Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes to Spurs and Arsenal, respectively, while Anthony Gordon, Kieran Trippier, and Eddie Howe have also all departed since the end of last season, with Matthias Jaissle stepping into the dugout.

The club had been looking at bringing the Sweden international into the club prior to Howe’s departure, with a £46m bid rejected by the north London side, despite the player having asked to leave for more regular football elsewhere.

But after Howe departed St James’ Park, there were question marks about whether they would continue to pursue their interest, while there were some suggestions that Roberto De Zerbi may have been able to convince him to stay until January.

However, according to The Sun, new boss Jaissle has come into Newcastle and has made the 20-year-old central midfielder a prime target to help with his midfield rebuild in this transfer window.

Tottenham are understood to value Bergvall in excess of £50m, and Newcastle must decide whether they will be willing to match that asking price to get a deal done, amid competition from the likes of Brighton and Nottingham Forest.

De Zerbi Wants Bergvall to Stay

Action Images via Reuters

Speaking earlier in the summer, De Zerbi made it clear that he wanted Bergvall to stay at the club, but also that he wouldn’t stand in the Swede’s way if he wanted to leave.

“I said ‘Who doesn’t want to stay in Tottenham, who is not happy, is not proud to stay here, has to leave’. I want proud players who are happy to stay here and to go on the pitch at Tottenham Stadium with a big motivation,” he said.

“If you think also in the World Cup, the motivation makes the difference. The motivation is to be happy to stay in one team.

“Otherwise, we have to find a new solution with Johan Lange, with Vinai (Venkatesham). It’s not my business after the decision to leave (if that happens).”

Since then, Bergvall has been a regular in pre-season, racking up 274 minutes across Tottenham’s eight pre-season games. That was less than only eight other players.

Little Known Rule Plays Part in Deal

via Reuters

Newcastle’s interest in Bergvall is long-standing this summer, and it has now emerged that they may have been forced to wait to push for his signing due to a little-known rule that has come into effect in this transfer window.

Under the newly enforced regulations from FIFA, if two clubs buy and sell from one another within a 45-day window, the transactions are officially classed as a ‘swap deal’ for accounting purposes. That will have had a big impact on Newcastle’s books, considering they needed to sell to help balance them.

As of today (August 18), 43 days have passed since that deal went through, meaning the Magpies are all-but in the clear to get a deal done if they want to.

Manchester City held fresh internal talks on Tuesday over a deal to sign Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, despite the deadline passing that the Blues set last week.

Chelsea told clubs they had until 5pm last Friday to make a £120m bid to prise the Argentina international away from Stamford Bridge, with Man City one of the interested clubs in the 25-year-old.

No offer arrived for the South American, and the west London outfit may have assumed that was the end of the situation at that stage.

However, City’s need for new midfielders is increasing after Rodri joined Bernardo Silva in completing a move to LaLiga with Barcelona on Tuesday, while Tijjani Reijnders is on the verge of completing his switch to Saudi club Al-Qadsiah.

Now, David Ornstein has reported that Newcastle are exploring a move for Nico Gonzalez too, with Fabrizio Romano saying that City are open to the Spaniard’s exit despite only signing him just over 18 months ago in a deal worth £50m.

While City are closing in on a deal to sign Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, there is still a gap in their central midfield, especially if Gonzalez joins the other three in departing.

Despite last week’s deadline set by Chelsea passing, Romano says that City aren’t giving up on Fernandez and that they actually held new talks over a move for him today.

Speaking on his latest YouTube video on Tuesday night, the Italian journalist said:

“On player side, Javier Pastore, the agent of the player, had conversations on daily basis these days, even after the deadline set by Chelsea for Enzo Fernandez. I would not be surprised if Manchester City arrive again and try to open negotiations for Enzo Fernandez.

“I would not be surprised because the understanding is that this Enzo situation, yes, on Friday changed the dynamics because Chelsea can now decide whatever they want. Chelsea will be more than happy to keep Fernandez at the club.

“Chelsea are not desperate with this situation, but at the same time, Chelsea are in control. Chelsea decide about the transfer fee. This verbal exit close is no longer valid, so we have to see how the conversations will continue.”

City Need Enzo Fernandez More Than Ever

REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

Enzo Fernandez might not be the most popular player in the Premier League after his behaviour at the 2026 World Cup and how he helped knock England out of the tournament, but there is no doubting the qualities that he brings.

And City need those qualities in their midfield more than ever. Make no mistake, losing Rodri and Bernardo Silva in the same summer is a huge blow for a club who aspires to win the Premier League and Champions League every season.

Right now, City’s central midfield options are new boy Elliot Anderson, Gonzalez and Mateo Kovacic, while Nico O’Reilly can play there too.

As mentioned, Gonzalez could be on his way if Newcastle can agree a deal with the Spaniard, which would leave Enzo Maresca seriously lacking depth in that position.

Although they are set to spend more than £200m on Anderson and Bouaddi, it will take another £100m+ deal to bring Fernandez to the Etihad.

It is no secret that Maresca is a big fan of the Argentine though, having worked with him during his time as Chelsea boss.

In 2025, he said: