In recent weeks, rumours have been circulating that Bayern Munich were interested in signing Manchester City talent Rayan Cherki .
However, BILD's editor in chief Christian Falk has exclusively told CFBayern Insider that Bayern never set their sights on the attacker.
Instead, the Bavarian giants were heavily linked with a move for Newcastle United 's Anthony Gordon , but ultimately lost out to Barcelona .
After that, they wasted little time in signing Ismael Saibari from PSV Eindhoven – Cherki was simply never an alternative to Gordon.
"It is not true – Bayern did not want to sign Man City star Rayan Cherki. He was not on the list," Falk explained in his BILD article.
"In the end, Bayern had the idea – as everyone is aware – of Anthony Gordon. However, it was quickly clear that he'd be too expensive.
"When they saw what Barcelona were prepared to pay with a transfer fee and salary for the former Newcastle star, they pulled back.
"So, they worked on the Ismael Saibari deal for about a year, and it was also the idea of Vincent Kompany after they played against PSV.
"He asked Max Eberl and Christoph Freund whether they knew much about the player, arguing that the Moroccan would be a good fit.
"They [Eberl and Freund] said he was already on the list and, if Kompany liked him, FC Bayern could go for him.
"So, you see, there was a really early plan for a star like Gordon on one hand and a player like Saibari on the other, who has a lot of potential.
"In the end, they had to decide on Ismael Saibari. Cherki was just not on the list," Falk's piece said in conclusion.
