Latest on the Martinez-to-Bayern Saga

If you're tired of the story by this point, I don't blame you. Check in tomorrow or Saturday for a look at the upcoming Pokal matches.

If you're into the latest rumors on the possible Javi Martinez transfer, today's papers offer a variety of opinions ...

Yesterday afternoon, it was reported that a deal had been reached: 40 million Euro to bring Javi to FC Bayern, with 10 million in salary give-backs bringing the club's net outlay to 30 million. It turned out to be a "not-yet-confirmed" deal - although I still think it will happen, neither club nor player is willing to say a deal has been reached.

I'll admit I thought it was a sealed transfer at that point. I guess I could argue that I said "seems to" and "appears to be" in yesterday's post, but I certainly was of the opinion that this was going to happen. But later yesterday evening, FC Bayern media relations officer Markus Hoerwick denied that a final deal had been reached, saying "[t]here has been no movement in this affair, from our point of view."

Interestingly, this morning there appear to be more articles coming out saying that the deal is done, but all appear to be working from the same Bild article from yesterday. So, big-media reports that are still saying over the past 8 hours that Martinez will move to Bayern are premature. I won't say "wrong," because Bild clearly got word from someone that an agreement in principle had been reached, but premature. We can sift out those general "repeating the Bild story" articles, and find a few bits of genuine news:

- ESPN Soccernet's Germany correspondent quotes Heynckes as saying "the transfer is in a good position, but not done yet." Makes it sound like it's a matter of details and physical examinations, and that it's just a matter of time.

- But the same article contains this piece:

However, Martinez's agent Antonio Sanz denied Bayern had even made an offer yet. "This is a complete lie. The clubs are not negotiating, as Bilbao is not willing to negotiate," Sanz said. "I do not believe Bayern have put € 40 million on the table. Javi Martinez will play for Athletic Bilbao next season."

Sounds much less promising (or more promising, depending upon your point of view). But it could be Javi's agent is trying to put pressure on Bayern, saying "come on, get it done."

- This article says that Javi left Athletic's match yesterday at half-time, and drove away from the stadium. There were also reports of his being jeered and criticized by fans. But, the same article contains the language from his agent denying any move.

- Meanwhile, bettor.com brings up the possibility of Gustavo being shipped out if Javi comes in. They don't appear to have any real news, just speculation, but we'll keep an eye on it.

In fact, we'll keep an eye on everything. Come back to this post and check the comment section for updates. ALSO - if you've signed up for an account in the last day, I activated all new members, so you should be ready to go. And if you want to sign up today, email me at bayern.offside@yahoo.com and I'll waive the waiting period. As always, feel free to email or tweet us if you have any breaking news, and thanks for reading.