Daily Schmankerl: Bayern uninterested Klostermann, City unwilling to loan Cancelo; Wilfried Zaha linked to Bayern? Winners and losers of the Bundesliga and more!

Mario Götze to leave Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer (Bild)

It’s decided, according to Bild: Mario Götze and Dortmund will part ways at the end of the season, having failed to reach an agreement about a new contract for the former Bayern star and World Cup winning scorer. BVB’s sporting director Michael Zorc confirmed before Christmas that the club was negotiating with Götze’s father Jürgen, who represents his son. But now, Bild states, the two sides simply cannot come to terms.

Götze is unwilling to accept a new contract that would slash his annual salary from ca. €10m to €7m. He therefore will leave as a free agent and sign elsewhere,

Hertha Berlin, which is in the midst of a push to become a major capital club, now backed by investor Lars Windhorst, is reportedly interested in Götze. Inter Milan is also reportedly interested. Götze was voted the biggest loser of the Hinrunde in kicker’s bi-annual player survey (see below).

Manchester City unwilling to loan out Cancelo; Klostermann not coming to Bayern (TZ)

As reported by TZ’s Manuel Bonke, FC Bayern Munich has been in contact with reigning Premier League champions Manchester City about a loan for João Cancelo. However, it appears that Man City doesn’t want to loan out Concelo, but would rather sell him.

In the same tweet, Bonke also reports that Bayern is not looking to sign Lukas Klostermann in the summer. Bayern never seriously entertained bringing in the RB Leipzig defender and German International, according to Bonke.

Wilfried Zaha hires the same agent as Robert Lewandowski, instantly linked to Bayern (Sky)

The young forward from the Ivory Coast, Wilfiried Zaha, has switched agents. He is now with super-agent Pihi Zahavi, who also represents Bayern’s Lewandowski. Crank up the rumor mill!

Any such rumors of Zaha to Bayern should probably be filed under silly season for now. First of all, Bayern is currently stacked at the attacking positions. Bringing in another winger would make no sense at the moment. Also, Zaha’s current club, Crystal Palace, of the Premier League, rejected lucrative offers for him just last summer. It is reported that Palace’s chairman is holding out for £80 million.

Kimmich talks Bayern’s goals at training camp in Qatar (FCBayern)

Joshua Kimmich checked in on the club’s website from Doha, describing some of the training the team has been enduring. Running before breakfast has been one delight the team has experienced at the Aspire Academy. Kimmich said,

When you start the session and already have a few kilometres on the clock, you certainly feel it in the morning. We were quite surprised when it was time for a run at 7:30.

Surprise! The team also played a small-sided tournament that sounds as if it was intense:

In a small-side tournament comprising four teams of six, the players fought for every ball. Matches lasted five minutes, and after all the teams had played each other twice, it was the sextet containing Thiago, Corentin Tolisso and Alphonso Davies who ran out winners.

Kimmich’s team came in second place. He emphasized that Bayern wants to finish in first place in the Bundesliga by the end of this season. To do that, he said, the team has to “play with confidence, earn a certain respect and then attack.” Of course, Kimmich will have to hold off on attacking for a bit, since he’ll be serving a one-game suspension for collecting five yellow cards when Bayern play Jürgen Klinsmann’s revived Hertha Berlin.

Lacazette likes random Instagram post by Boateng, so off to Arsenal he goes (Daily Star)

Journalism, folks! We all know that Jerome Boateng is not happy at Bayern Munich and would presumably like a transfer out to a club that can afford him. Enter the Daily Star:

Allianz Arena chiefs are reportedly prepared to grant him an exit this month for around £12.8m, but his injury record would represent a risk for the Gunners given he is already 31.

But it seems that Lacazette has hinted that he wants to see Boateng at the Emirates because he liked a posted he picture of himself in training ahead of Bayern’s return to domestic action after their winter break.

Kicker surveyed Bundesliga players about the winners and losers of the league (kicker)

239 players from the Bundesliga voted on various topics around the league. Most categories were either winners, losers, or surprises of the Hinrunde. FC Bayern and Bayern players appeared a few times in the survey, as you may have guessed.

With 47.7% of the votes, Robert Lewandowski was voted the best field-player of the Hinrunde for the third time.

Yann Sommer (38.9%) was voted the best goalkeeper by his peers, beating out second-place Manuel Neuer (10.9%)

The best coach went to Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Marco Rose. Leipzig’s Julian Nagelsmann took second, while Niko Kovac was voted as the biggest loser among coaches, after being fired in the middle of the Hinrunde. Interstingly, the best coach in the world went to Liverpool’s Jürgen Klopp by a resounding vote of 80.3%. Messi was voted best player in the world with 56.9%.

SC Freiburg was voted as the biggest positive surprise this Hinrunde, while Werder Bremen was voted as the biggest negative surprise. Among players, Gladbach’s Marcus Thuram was voted most-improved, while Mario Götze (see above) was voted as the biggest disappointment. With 11.7% of the vote Götze barely beat out Boateng (10%) and Michael Cuisance (9.2%)

Although many fans and analysts worldwide seem to agree that the Bundesliga’s VAR reviews are the most efficient, 63.2% of players don’t believe that VAR is better in its second season.

Lastly, only 36% of the surveyed players believe that Bayern will defend its title. RB Leipzig, with 43.1% of the vote is the favorite among those surveyed to win the Bundesliga this season.