Nübel leaves future wide open

It seems only a matter of time before Bayern München's long-serving first-choice goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, extends his contract with the club for another year until 2026.

As a result, Alexander Nübel is unlikely to be recalled from his loan spell with Stuttgart this summer and will instead remain there until the summer of 2026.

The 28-year-old was long thought to be Neuer's most likely successor at Bayern, but reports have cast doubt on that, with FC Köln's Jonas Urbig now the favorite to replace the veteran at the Säbener Strasse.

Nübel himself remains hopeful of a future as Bayern's first-choice goalkeeper, but is aware that it may not come to that.

"Of course my goal is to be number one there, of course I want to assert myself. But there's still time," Nübel told a Kicker podcast.

“If Manuel Neuer extends his contract now, which I think he will, then we'll see in 2026 whether Bayern Munich and I will be together or whether we'll agree on something else. I'm not tied to one club. That's why I'm really relaxed and looking forward to the future.”

For now, the 28-year-old is enjoying life in Stuttgart, where he also played last season.

"Bayern München is of course number one in terms of success. But it doesn't get much better than it is at the moment. That's why I'm relatively happy with the way things have gone and the way things are going at the moment," said Nübel.

With that in mind, extending his stay with Stuttgart seems a real possibility - but there's another alternative.

“Maybe another door will open. There are a lot of good clubs in Europe. Let's see what happens and how I develop. And then I'll look forward to whatever comes next, in Germany or abroad,” said Nübel, who is contracted to FC Bayern until 2029.