Daily Schmankerl: Barca closing in on Matthijs de Ligt; Adrien Rabiot in more trouble with PSG; Lille put a price on Nicolas Pepe; and MORE!

Barca “getting closer” on De Ligt (Sport)

It appears that FC Barcelona could be moving atop the leader board to land Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt.

Dutch center back Matthijs De Ligt moves closer to Barcelona with each passing day as obstacles to his signing are jumped. (FC Barcelona president Josep Maria) Bartomeu made it clear on Cadena SER on Wednesday that the club wants him, saying that his name is on the table for next season.

Sources consulted by SPORT assure that the club believe there is enough money to sign De Ligt. Finally, his friendship with (Frenkie) De Jong has to be mentioned. Both are aware that having each other for company would speed up their adaption process in Catalonia.

If this comes to fruition, well...we’ll always have this:

Ulreich open to extending his time in Munich (Münchner Merkur)

Bayern Munich back-up goalkeeper Sven Ulreich would like to extend his stay in Bavaria. The 30-year-old has a contract that runs through 2021 and has been a capable reserve behind Manuel Neuer, while Christian Früchtl develops in the youth ranks.

Ulreich came to FC Bayern from VfB Stuttgart in 2015, and the 30-year-old has since made a total of 60 competitive appearances in all competitions for the record champions. His contract currently runs until 2021 — but if it is up to Ulreich, it will not be over for a long time to come. It is “already the case that I do not want to stop yet. I feel good, fit and want to continue for a few more years,” he explained. Ulreich would very much like to stay in Munich. “My family feels good, I feel good, the club is great — of course I’m not reluctant to spend a few more years here.”

Lille states price tag on Pepe (Sport)

Yeah...I’ll take a hard pass on this. It looks like FC Barcelona (surprise!) could be the front runner for Lille winger Nicolas Pepe anyway.

FC Barcelona now know what Lille want for their striker Nicolas Pepe, from the Ivory Coast. Gerard Lopez, the president of the French side, spoke on RMC Sport and said the club would sell for “between 50 and 80 million euros.” Lopez knows that Pepe, 23, will leave the club at the end of the season after ensuring he stayed in the winter window despite the offers for him. Bayern Munich and various Premier League clubs asked about the Barca target.

Rabiot draws heat for hitting the club after PSG was eliminated from the UCL (@PassionFootClub)

Exiled Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot is getting major heat in France for going out on the town after PSG was bounced by Manchester United in the Champions League.

RMC Sport captured the reaction of PSG sporting director Antero Henrique to the video above. It was, well, a bit icy:

I find the attitude and lack of professionalism of a player like Adrien Rabiot to be unacceptable to the club, his teammates and his supporters, and I remind you that until June 30, 2019, he is part of our squad.

Boateng to model Hamilton’s Tommy Hilfiger line (Daily Mail)

Jerome Boateng helped model the most recent clothing line released by British Formula One drive Lewis Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton has launched his second collaborative collection with Tommy Hilfiger as the five-time Formula One world champion continues to further a second career in fashion. The 34-year-old was in Berlin on Thursday to reveal his new range of clothes before the new F1 season kicks off in Melbourne next Friday. Hamilton sought the help of Bayern Munich star Jerome Boateng to model his new clothes range at former techno club E-werk in the German capital.

Looking for some weekly Bundesliga predictions? I’ve got you covered (The Barrel)

If you are looking to kill some time this morning and want a brief preview on each Bundesliga match (along with some predictions that will most likely go up in flames quickly), I’ve got you covered here.

Ancelotti made his feelings known on Manchester United-PSG debacle (@Jon_LeGossip)

ICYMI: Kovac puts a target on Löw (Bavarian Football Works)

Good for Niko Kovac in backing his players. Take a look here for what he said.