The 2026-27 Bundesliga campaign is only a few weeks away, so several clubs have already started their preseason preparations. While some have already played several club friendlies, others are still wrapping up their business in the transfer market.
The preseason Bundesliga 2026 odds have Bayern Munich as the prohibitive favourites to win the Meisterschale (again) because of the shrewd moves they’ve made so far, including the additions of Ismael Saibari and Nathaniel Brown.
Their derby rivals, Borussia Dortmund, might find it difficult to challenge them because they haven’t done much in the summer transfer window. And this is why the Yellow Wall have been busy working the phones in the past few days, as they’re trying to load up. Elsewhere, Mainz have already played several club friendlies, and Urs Fischer’s side is making some progress.
In case you missed it, here are some of the latest Bundesliga 2026 updates, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Borussia Dortmund can exhale on Schlotterbeck, Guirassy
Borussia Dortmund have already lost Julian Brandt, Niklas Sule, and Karim Adeyemi this summer, so they cannot afford to lose more key players to challenge Bayern Munich this upcoming season. Brandt is now a free agent after not being renewed by BVB. Adeyemi was sold to Barcelona, while Sule announced his retirement from football.
There were murmurs that Nico Schlotterbeck and Serhou Guirassy could be on their way out of the Yellow Wall due to their respective release clauses, which rival clubs can trigger if they decide to pursue them this summer. Schlotterbeck’s clause was roughly €50 to 60 million, while Guirassy’s clause was around €40 million. However, fortunately for BVB, no one pulled the trigger, so they’ll continue to have control over their futures.
Schlotterbeck is arguably BVB’s best defender due to his physical profile and technical skill, while Guirassy has been one of their best forwards. These two will play pivotal roles next season, but if other teams plan to get them, they will need to pay a fortune, which works in Borussia Dortmund’s favour.
Furthermore, Borussia Dortmund have acquired Bjarki Hrafn Gardarsson – a 16-year-old Icelandic prodigy – to their attacking corps. They’re also monitoring another young prospect in Ajax’s Rayane Bounida, while trying to bring back Jadon Sancho, their prodigal son.
Bayern Munich star is a wanted man
After acquiring Nathaniel Brown and Ismael Saibari, the next big task for Bayern Munich is to fend off suitors for Michael Olise, who has been one of the world’s best young wingers over the past few months. The 24-year-old produced 15 league goals and 19 assists this past season, and his superb form carried over to the World Cup, where he contributed five assists and helped France reach the semi-finals.
Olise was heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid after Florentino Perez claimed he would submit a €150 million offer for a star player this summer. While that turned out to be for Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez, there was plenty of chatter for Olise too.
In a strange twist, several reports indicate that Olise could be open to a move to the Bernabeu this summer. However, given how Bayern Munich operate, this is unlikely to happen even if Real Madrid offer a king’s ransom.
Bayern Munich tend to sell only when they feel a player’s value has plummeted, as seen with Benjamin Pavard, Kingsley Coman, Lucas Hernandez, Matthijs de Ligt, and Noussair Mazraoui. That’s not the case for Olise, who has yet to reach his prime and has built chemistry with Harry Kane and Luis Diaz in the final third.
Mainz building momentum in preseason
Mainz are determined to fight for European football after finishing 10th in the German top-flight standings last term, and the 05ers have been building something under head coach Urs Fischer, who was appointed to take over the team midway through the 2025-26 campaign.
This summer, they’ve already played three club friendlies, dominantly winning all of them. First, they won 10-0 against Eisbachtaler Sportfreunde before notching an 11-0 victory against TSG Pfeddersheim. And earlier today, they won 4-1 against Kaiserslautern.
Throughout these three matches, Fischer has been able to integrate new signings Eric Martel, Fabio Gruber, Sota Kawasaki, Alynho Haidara, and Ransford Königsdörffer – who scored three times in their first two wins against Eisbachtaler Sportfreunde and TSG Pfeddersheim.
Fischer has yet to deploy Nadiem Amiri, their top scorer last season with 12 league goals, because he’s taking a break after his World Cup campaign with Germany. The 29-year-old had one assist in two appearances during the quadrennial tournament.
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