Daily Schmankerl: Is Bayern Munich overpaying Lucas Hernandez?; Klose to become Flick's assistant; Nubel upsets Neuer, and MORE!

Bayern Munich could be paying Lucas Hernandez over €24m a year (kicker)

This is a little bit worrying. According to kicker, reliable agents in the industry claim that Lucas Hernandez is earning €24m a year at Bayern Munich. While it seems unbelievable that the bosses would pay any player that amount of money, it would explain the recent salary demands of players like Manuel Neuer, Thiago Alcantara, and David Alaba.

Now, whether or not Lucas actually earns that much money is a matter of debate. Details could be getting lost in midst of hearsay — for example, we don’t know if the €24m figure includes bonuses or not. The only Bayern player that currently earns that kind of money is Philippe Coutinho, and that’s because the club agreed to cover his Barcelona salary during the loan. Even Robert Lewandowski, previously thought to be the Bayern’s highest-paid player, doesn’t earn that much.

But the problem is, even if it isn’t true, kicker is the second publication to suggest that Lucas’ high salary is a factor in ongoing contract negotiations. If the players believe it, then they’ll want the same number, even if the Frenchman doesn’t earn as much money as previously claimed. This could turn into another Götze situation, where Bayern let Toni Kroos leave after he increased his wage demands following the acquisition of Mario Götze.

Hopefully, none of that comes to pass, and the remainder of negotiations proceed smoothly.

Update: Falk to the rescue!

Wish he'd said this before I wrote all that, to be honest.

Miroslav Klose agrees to become Hansi Flick’s assistant (kicker)

Once again, according to kicker, Bayern U-17 coach Miroslav Klose is set to leave the youth teams next summer. In principle, he has agreed to become the assistant to Hansi Flick, but the move is not yet official. Kicker claims that Klose has an offer to be the assistant from another Bundesliga club — but who would turn down Bayern?

This report has also been confirmed by Sport Bild.

Alexander Nübel guaranteed 10 games a season, upsetting Manuel Neuer (kicker)

Finally, it appears that Schalke goalie Alex Nübel has been guaranteed ten games a season after joining Bayern Munich, which bothers Manuel Neuer very much. The transfer of the 23-year-old has emerged as the biggest stumbling block in Bayern’s bid to extend Neuer to a new contract. The Bayern captain has made it clear, both at the negotiating table and in public interviews, that he still wants to play every single game next season. The prospect of giving up almost 20% of available minutes probably doesn’t seem very palatable to him.

According to kicker’s online edition, the two parties are still far away from agreeing a new deal. It could take weeks or even months to come to an agreement.

Thanks to Davis VanOpdorp for helping confirm these rumors with his print edition of kicker!

Thomas and Lisa making the most of quarantine

Nature is so beautiful