Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich, Manchester City scoping FC Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong; Bayern plotting move for Goncalo Ramos?; The latest on Ricardo Pepi’s potential transfer to the Bundesliga; BVB eyeing Jude Bellingham’s brother?; and MORE!

Bayern, City eyeing Barca’s De Jong (The Hard Tackle)

Bayern Munich and Manchester City could be seeking to capitalize on FC Barcelona’s financial issues by making a play for midfielder Frenkie de Jong:

Manchester City and Bayern Munich are reportedly interested in signing Barcelona midfield mainstay Frenkie de Jong, whose contract runs till 2026.

According to a report from Italian publication Calciomercato, Barcelona midfield superstar Frenkie de Jong is attracting a lot of interest from top clubs in Europe with Premier League champions Manchester City and Bundesliga title-holders Bayern Munich keen.

As for Bayern Munich, their interest in de Jong is not new. The Bavarian giants had shown an interest in the Netherlands international before his move to Barcelona in 2019 and have continued to monitor his progress. Given Corentin Tolisso’s injury-prone nature and Marc Roca’s struggles in Germany, Die Roten would need an addition in the midfield department in the near future.

It would be surprising to see Bayern Munich buck up for De Jong, despite the known interested that the Bavarians have had in the Dutchman. De Jong would command a starting role and a big salary, but it would be hard to find that in Germany without displacing an established starter like Joshua Kimmich or Leon Goretzka or the Bavarians clearing out a slew of salary space.

This is also not the first time we have heard that Bayern Munich could be looking to acquire one or more assets from Barcelona in hopes of taking advantage of the Catalan club’s need for money. De Jong, however, seems like one player that Barca would be inclined to keep.

Bayern laying the groundwork for Ramos move? (Sport Bild via @iMiaSanMia)

When Bayern Munich was in Lisbon for the Champions League match against Benfica, the brass met up with gent Jorge Mendes, who happens to represent 20-year-old Benfica attacker Goncalo Ramos.

Was it just an informal meet-and-greet or are the Bavarians trying to get a gauge on one of Mendes’ clients — Ramos?

The latest on Pepi (Sky)

The seemingly done deal between FC Dallas and USMNT striker Ricardo Pepi and Wolfsburg might not be so....”done”?

Per Sky, several Bundesliga clubs are in the mix:

The 19-year-old Ricardo Pepi from FC Dallas has moved into the focus of some Bundesliga clubs, according to Sky information. This year the striker has already scored 13 goals in 28 games. He has even played four international matches and snapped three times for the USA national team.

The 1.86 meter tall striker even played for Bayern in February. Back then as part of a cooperation. In addition to the record champions, VfL Wolfsburg and Manchester City are also interested in signing. City is probably out of the question for the young striker.

Dallas is currently charging ten million euros for the talent.

Exciting: VfB Stuttgart agreed on a change with Pepi in the summer. However, the move failed because Dallas did not come to a common denominator.

The news on VfB Stuttgart is a bit shocking, but it is safe to assume that both Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg are in close contact with Pepi’s camp. With Manchester City lurking out the perimeter as well, things could get interesting.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Preview Show — Gladbach vs Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal (Bavarian Football Works)

The DFB Pokal is back, and Bayern Munich have a nightmare opponent in store. For the third time this season, Julian Nagelsmann must face Adi Hutter’s Borussia Monchengladbach — a team which he has yet to beat in any meaningful way. Foals keeper Yann Sommer has been the bane of Bayern’s attackers for many years now, and he along with the rest of their team will be looking to knock the Bavarians out of the 2nd Round of the Pokal for the second year in a row.

Here are our talking points ahead of the game:

• Our general thoughts on the matchup.
• A rundown of Gladbach’s form, including the tactical failings of coach Adi Hutter.
• Why Yann Sommer still scares us.
• The specific ways in which BMG can hurt Bayern Munich.
• Will Gladbach target Alphonso Davies again?
• Explaining why Gladbach vs Bayern is like a Togekiss vs a Garchomp (Nintendo please don’t sue us).
• What is going on with Florian Neuhaus?
• Which Gladbach player do we want to see at Bayern (not Neuhaus).
• A scoreline prediction for the game.

Leverkusen did something cool (@bayer04_en)

Bayer Leverkusen did something pretty cool. Die Werkself did a pronunciation guide, which is pretty terrific to hear the players pronounce their own names:

Upamecano names to Euro Team of the Week (WhoScored.com)

Dayot Upamecano performed well enough against Hoffenheim to be named to WhoScored.com’s European Top 5 Leagues Team of the Week:

Family affair for Bellingham? (Sport1)

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham could soon be joined by a familiar face in Germany — his 16-year-old brother Jobe Bellingham:

Will Jude Bellingham soon be playing side by side with his younger brother?

As the picture reports, Borussia Dortmund should try to get 16-year-old Jobe Bellingam, who is under contract with Birmingham City and mainly plays for the U18.

In the EFL Cup, the youngster has already been part of the professional squad twice and impressed those responsible at BVB with his qualities. But the black and yellow pursue another goal: A change of the younger brother should also bind the older Bellingham to the club in the long term.

His contract runs until 2025, but top clubs like Liverpool have already expressed interest.

ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works Flagship Show — (Bavarian Football Works)

Another week has gone by, and there’s even more Bayern Munich news to talk about. Of course the big one is how Joshua Kimmich was revealed to be unvaccinated, creating a massive rift in the Bayern fanbase. We can’t dedicate a whole podcast to that, but we did discuss it and a whole lot of other topics relevant to the club and German football at large.

In this episode, Samrin and Ineednoname discuss:

• Why El Clasico has lost its luster, and why you should watch the Bundesliga instead.
• Why German fans don’t seem to hate each other like Real Madrid and Barcelona fans do.
• How the Bundesliga is marketed in India now, with ACTUAL PUNDITRY!
• Room to improve the marketing, especially in comparison to the Premier League.
• Samrin bullies INNN into remembering three Bielefeld/Mainz players.
• The Champions League disaster from Germany in Europe.
• A Haaland vs Lewandowski debate!
• How Thomas Muller fits Bayern like a glove.
• Joshua Kimmich’s vaccine decision (final third of the podcast).