Daily Schmankerl: Corentin Tolisso’s days at Bayern Munich appear numbered; Chelsea has no use for Saul; Cristiano Ronaldo to bolt Manchester United already?; Tanguy Nianzou linked to St. Etienne in bizarre rumor; and MORE!

Tolisso’s days at Bayern appear to be numbered (Sky via BuliNews)

According to Sky Germany, Bayern Munich midfielder Corentin Tolisso is in the homestretch of his career in Bavaria. The Frenchman is expected to leave the club in hopes of reinvigorating his career elsewhere.

Corentin Tolisso is understood to be heading towards the exit door at Bayern München in the summer.

According to Sky Germany, the French international is ‘very likely’ to depart Allianz Arena on a free transfer, when his contract expires at the end of the season.

The injury-plagued French midfielder has been limited to eight appearances and 262 minutes of football since Julian Nagelsmann took over as Bayern coach, with Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka being the preferred duo in central midfield.

Despite Tolisso’s raw talent, he was never able to sustain any consistent run of good form because of injuries at Bayern Munich. A player with his skillset should move on and find a place where he can always be in the starting XI.

Nianzou to AS St. Etienne after sale? (Fussball Transfers)

In one of the oddest rumors you will see, Tanguy Nianzou is very loosely linked to transfer to AS St. Etienne should the club be sold:

The once shining star of AS St. Étienne has faded since the beginning of the 80s. The twelfth championship in 1981 was not followed by another. Although they played continuously in Ligue 1, there were no real successes.

The prospect of a group of investors that could take over shortly gives Les Verts hope. The club has been publicly for sale since April, according to information from our partner site Foot Mercato , a consortium around the former St. Étienne midfielder Mathieu Bodmer and the former Marseille President Jean-Michel Roussier have good prospects of winning.

Nianzou as an inaugural gift?

As a dream player to strengthen the current table-19. is among others chosen Tanguy Nianzou from FC Bayern. The 19-year-old central defender rarely comes into play in Munich. Nevertheless, he plays a central role in the future plans of the German record champions. So it will be interesting to see what happens when a soon-to-be-nouveau-riche St. Etienne beckons.

It is highly doubtful that Bayern Munich lets Nianzou go any time soon.

Report: No talks between Rüdiger and Chelsea (Sky)

Antonio Rüdiger is apparently not communicating with Chelsea at this stage for a new deal. This could be good news for Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Paris-Saint Germain:

There have been no talks in the last month between Antonio Rudiger’s representatives and Chelsea over a new contract.

Rudiger remains 100% committed while he is at the club and a new Chelsea deal has not been ruled out, but Rudiger wants to assess all his options before committing to what would be the biggest contract of his career.

Rudiger can sign a pre-contract with a foreign club in January. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG are all thought to be interested.

ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works Postgame Show: Bayern Munich’s 2-1 win over SC Freiburg (Bavarian Football Works)

Games against SC Freiburg are rarely easy; but Bayern Munich found a way to beat Christian Streich’s tough and gritty Freiburg side, 2 - 1. Leon Goretzka, excellent on the day, started the scoring; Robert Lewandowski added a second late on which would matter very much as Freiburg would get a goal back late on via Janik Haberer.

The following are our talking points:

• The changes both coaches made.
• The importance of Leroy Sané and how Julian Nageslmann deploys him in the team.
• Robert Lewandowski’s evolving role in this team.
• SC Freiburg’s position in the table and why that is no fluke.
• What SC Freiburg did really well in this game.

Saul wants out of Chelsea (Transfer Market Web)

Saul was reportedly a target of Bayern Munich last summer, but ultimately went on loan to Chelsea FC. It is debatable how much he has left in the tank, but it is certainly not enough to usurp a spot from anyone in London:

Saul, a Chelsea midfielder on loan at Stamford Bridge, is said to wish to leave the club following a difficult start.

The Spain international joined the Blues on a season-long loan in the summer, but he has struggled to make an impression under Thomas Tuchel’s limited playing time.

Saul’s representatives, according to Todo Fichajes, appear to be arranging his departure from Chelsea, with a possible loan to Barcelona being considered.

It’s surprising that a quality player like Saul hasn’t been able to make an impact in England, but Chelsea already had a solid center midfield, so it’s debatable if this loan signing was really necessary.

Chelsea’s first-choice players in that position include N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, and Mateo Kovacic, although Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley are capable squad players.

Furthermore, gifted teenager Conor Gallagher has had a highly impressive loan spell at Crystal Palace this season, and might be a future option for Tuchel.

Saul’s greatest chance of reviving his career is to return to La Liga, though it’s hard to see why Barcelona would be interested in signing him right now.

Ronaldo to bolt United already? (Sport1)

Could Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest stint at Manchester United come to an end this summer? It sure seems that way — if United cannot qualify for the Champions League:

According to the Daily Express, CR7 has now let those responsible know that, despite his contract dated until 2023, he will leave United next summer if one should miss the Champions League qualification.

Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is currently the focus of criticism. According to reports, Ronaldo also blames the Norwegian for the current misery.

Cue up those “Bayern Munich should sign Ronaldo” bad takes!