Bayern Munich appear to have stolen a march on rivals Chelsea and Paris St. Germain in the race to sign Napoli defender Faouzi Ghoulam according to reports in Italian website CalcioMercato.com.

The 25 year old left back is believed to be on the wishlist of all three European giants, but Bayern are believed to have made the first move, offering the youngster a 4 year contract worth €3 million a year.

Bayern Munich provided three first-half goals to beat 10-man Leipzig in the top clash, while Hertha Berlin tamed Darmstadt 2-0 to move into the top three at the closer of the 16th round of Bundesliga.

The Bavarians will spend the winter break atop the Bundesliga standings as they moved 3-0 past the surprise title rivals Leipzig, who suffered their second loss of the season on Wednesday.

Bayern Munich's defender Jerome Boateng will be out for at least six weeks after undergoing an operation on his right chest muscle on Tuesday, the German football champions said.

The 28-year-old German international will be out of the game until February next year. He has amassed a long streak of injuries in the last year.

Bayern Munich returned to the top spot after beating Darmstadt 1-0 while Ingolstadt upset ten-men Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 at the closer of the 15th round of Bundesliga.

The "Bavarians" craved out a hard earned 1-0 victory on Sunday over resilient bottom team Darmstadt as Douglas Costas unleashed a hammer to make the difference, Xinhua news agency reported.

Bayern Munich beat Atletico Madrid by a 1-0 margin with centre-forward Robert Lewandowski scoring the winner in a Champions League group stage match. Atletico failed to become the seventh team to conclude the group stage with a perfect record as Lewandowski's free kick ensured Bayern Munich's 15th straight win on home soil in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The hosts grabbed the reins from the kick-off and pressed Atletico into defence. Nevertheless, it was the visitors who worked out the first opportunities as Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco tested Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer twice in the opening period.

Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti has said that Atletico Madrid are one of Europe's best teams and stressed that games against the Spanish football club are important whatever the circumstances.

In a press conference held on Monday, the eve of Bayern's final Champions League group stage game against Atletico at the Allianz Arena, Ancelotti said that he will introduce rotation among his players to get the best out of fresh starters.

Bayern Munich have confirmed that ace goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will miss the UEFA Champions League group stage football match against Rostov after suffering from muscular problems.

The German captain will be cautionary sidelined by Bayern head coach Carlo Ancelotti as the custodian is plagued by a stiff calf. Neuer stays in Munich and will undergo treatment, the German record champions announced on Monday.