Daily Schmankerl: Matthijs de Ligt to Manchester United?; The aftermath of Bayern Munich vs. RB Leizpig; Joachim Low talks Timo Werner; and MORE!

De Ligt to United? (The Mirror)

Could Manchester United swoop in and sign Ajax star Matthijs de Ligt?

Manchester United have launched a £70million bid for Ajax’s brilliant young captain Matthijs de Ligt. United moved in when Barcelona refused to pay the Dutchman’s agent £12million to broker a move to the Nou Camp, after De Ligt led his Amsterdam club to a league and cup double. But sources in Holland last night suggested United have moved into pole position after agreeing to outbid any club and meet Mino Raiola’s demands for a £350,000-a-week wage and a huge fixer’s fee.

This report, would seem to go against another rumor that we covered regarding a potential move to the Red Devils for De Ligt from earlier in the month that stated De Ligt had axed Manchester United from consideration.

FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain have all been heavily linked with the 19-year-old. Most observers had assumed that De Ligt was drawing closer to finalizing a deal with Barca, but perhaps that is not the case.

Don’t get too down, however, there still could be a chance that De Ligt keeps his options open.

United’s hopes are complicated by De Ligt’s insistence that he will only join a club that has qualified for the Champions League.

Die Folgen: Bayern’s domestic double-clinching win over RB Leipzig (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern shook off a bit of an early hangover and stormed back to shutout Die Roten Bullen 3-0. Here are some quick hitters on the DFB-Pokal championship win:

• Robert Lewandowski was phenomenal. Two goals and an undying relentlessness when driving to the net. What an effort by the Poland international!

• Manuel Neuer looked like vintage Manuel Neuer. There was no hesitation or indecision, only instinctual play and a brave and aggressive playing-style that undoubtedly kept Bayern in the game when it could have fall behind early.
• Aside of a few early lapses, the defensive back four was stellar. David Alaba, Joshua Kimmich, Niklas Sule, and Mats Hummels were tremendous.
• It was good to see Corentin Tolisso back on the pitch, but I would have preferred to see Rafinha go out on the field, though I suppose it was fitting he ended his Bayern career on the bench.
• Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery took one last rotation on the field and did an admirable job in helping Bayern close out the game. They generated some excitement offensively and it was good to see then wearing red one final time.
• Only Thomas Muller...

• Kingsley Coman’s awesome patience, calm touch, and devastating finish was really something to see. What a goal!
• Much will be made of Niko Kovac in the coming days and despite a vote of confidence from his bosses, there will still be many, who want to see him refreshing his resume. In the end, he did have some struggles and he did make some mistakes, but he also adapted to the personnel on the roster, turned around the season, and led Bayern to a double. Not bad for a coach having to deal with the bright lights of FC Hollywood for the first time.

If you missed our Match Awards or Observations give them a look:

PSG extends Tuchel (kicker)

Paris Saint-Germain has extended the contract of former Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel.

The day after the season finale, Paris Saint-Germain made it official: Thomas Tuchel (45) gets the trust of patron Nasser Al-Khelaifi - and a new contract until 2021, which may give him more powers.

Brazil international and PSG superstar Neymar had this to say about Tuchel:

I have developed great affection for him since our first interview, and if you feel such a great affection for his coach, you give his life for him on the (field), I will do my best to win for him.

Low talks potential Timo move (Münchner Merkur)

Germany coach Joachim Low acknowledged the rumors regarding RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner and Bayern, but gave no real opinion on the matter.

I’ve heard that Leipzig wants to throw everything at Timo to keep him. But if he changes, FC Bayern would be a big address.

Wow...did not know this guy was a Bayern fan (@FCBayernUS)

As someone who had to suffer through the Philadelphia 76ers dropping a series to the Toronto Raptors, I got see this guy celebrating a lot on television. With the Raptors downing the Milwaukee Bucks to clinch a spot against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, yesterday must have been a pretty good day for him.

Milner talks Messi confrontation (@brfootball)

Liverpool’s James Milner had a widely publicized run-in with FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi on the pitch during the Champions League semifinals. What words were exchanged? Well, Milner claims that Messi called him a “burro.”