Daily Schmankerl: Real Madrid, Chelsea set to battle for Bayern Munich’s Niklas Süle; Manchester United already talking to Erling Haaland?; Manchester City, Bayern battling for FC Barcelona’s Sergino Dest?; Hakim Ziyech to Borussia Dortmund?; and MORE!

Süle drawing interest in Chelsea, Real Madrid (The Hard Tackle)

Bayern Munich defender Niklas Süle could be targeted by both Chelsea FC and Real Madrid:

Real Madrid are reportedly ready to rival Chelsea in pursuit of Bayern Munich defender Niklas Süle who will be a free agent in the summer.

According to a report from Fichajes, Real Madrid and Chelsea could be set to enter a transfer war for the signing of Niklas Süle, whose contract with Bayern Munich is set to expire at the end of the season.

Süle’s future is in total limbo at this stage and the vultures are going to keep circling. Such a good player being available on a free transfer is going to cause quite a stir for many clubs.

United already in contact for Haaland? (Manchester Evening News)

Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick has reportedly already made contact with Alf-Inge Haaland with regard to the Norwegian’s son, Erling, a fairly decent footballer.

Okay, we kid...Erling Haaland is a fantastic player and it appears that Manchester United will be pursuing the scoring machine heavily moving forward:

Ralf Rangnick is pushing for Manchester United to sign Erling Haaland despite intense competition for the Borussia Dortmund striker. Rangnick has recently spoken to Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge, about possibility of his son signing for United next year. Rangnick retains a cordial relationship with Alf-Inge Haaland from when he was Red Bull sporting director and oversaw Haaland’s move to Red Bull Salzburg from Molde in 2018.

United do not believe the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who managed Haaland at Molde, would hamper their chances of signing Haaland. Sources say Solskjaer’s relationship with Haaland was not as warm following the collapse of his prospective move to United in December 2019.

United earmarked Haaland as their striker priority last season and are determined to recruit a forward ahead of next season, with Edinson Cavani, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, and Paul Pogba all out of contract in June. Anthony Martial also wants to leave.

“Erling Haaland is a fantastic striker,” Rangnick said at his introductory press conference three weeks ago. “I know best myself, because I was together with the people at Salzburg with my friend Kristoff and the people there were a little bit involved in the move from Molde to Salzburg, and therefore I know what kind of player he is.

Belgium goes over the top (@BelRedDevils)

Belgium’s faux Christmas cards are terrific:

Bavarian Podcast Works Season 4, Episode 19 (Bavarian Football Works)

The Hinrunde is over and Bayern Munich are officially the winter champions! Borussia Dortmund’s loss to Hertha Berlin means that Julian Nagelsmann is officially 9 points clear at the top of the table after his first half-season in charge of the club — one of the best starts to a new season since Pep Guardiola. Still, there’s plenty to address regarding the circumstances of this Hinrunde, which we took the liberty of doing.

In this episode, Ineednoname and Samrin discuss:

• What the hell happened to Borussia Dortmund this season?
• The general decline in the quality of the Bundesliga this season.
• Why losing great coaching talent has cost the league dearly.
• We start talking about Nagelsmann 10 minutes in if you can’t listen to discussion about other teams.
• What grade do we give Nagelsmann?
• Samrin explains her reasoning first.
• Can Bayern Munich compete with the top teams in the Champions League right now?
• Should Nagelsmann have been given a 5-year contract?
• How the coach is finding a better balance in recent games.
• Similarities between Nagelsmann and Pep Guardiola, especially with regard to Thomas Muller.
• Should Bayern make January transfers? (Includes a healthy dose of clowning on Cuisance.)
• INNN explains his reasoning for Nagelsmann’s rating.
• Final comments: Being fair to Nagelsmann and why we will keep backing him despite criticism.

Okay BFW, empty your couch cushions...we are buying a Serie A club (@DiMarzio via @Bonetti)

Who wants to crowdsource an Italian football club? Now is our chance:

City, Bayern to duke it our for Dest? (Sports Mole)

Manchester City could join Bayern Munich in pursuit of FC Barcelona and USMNT star Sergino Dest:

Bayern Munich are reportedly planning to join the race to sign Barcelona defender Sergino Dest.

The United States international remains a first-team regular at Camp Nou, making a total of 14 starts and two substitute appearances in La Liga and the Champions League this season.

However, the 21-year-old has been tipped to leave the Catalan giants, either in a straight-cash deal or in part-exchange for Manchester City winger Ferran Torres.

According to Fichajes, Bayern intend on rivalling any offer made by the Premier League leaders with Julian Nagelsmann said to be an admirer of the player.

The report claims that the Bayern head coach wants an attack-minded alternative to Benjamin Pavard, leaving Joshua Kimmich to focus on midfield duties.

Bayern are also said to be considering a bid for Dest’s Barcelona teammate Frenkie de Jong, although it has been claimed elsewhere that the La Liga side will retain his services.

Ziyech to BVB heating up or cooling off? (Sport1)

Borussia Dortmund sent an inquiry to Chelsea about Hakim Ziyech, but it appears the forward is just a bit too expensive for the club’s liking:

Most recently it was said that Hakim Ziyech could join Westphalia during the winter break - but how likely is the Chelsea star to move to Dortmund?

The 28-year-old, who has a contract with the Blues until 2025, was actively offered to BVB by its advisor, according to SPORT1 information. (DATA: The Bundesliga table)

BVB actually asked loosely about the player 00 and especially about his salary. However, this is far too high for Borussia, even if Chelsea would take over parts.

In addition, the bosses believe that the offensive player does not fit perfectly into Marco Rose’s system, which he prefers to come through the middle rather than the wings. (DATA: Results and schedule of the Bundesliga)

“The name Hakim Ziyech comes up again and again in Dortmund. But we can clear up this rumor ”, reports SPORT1 chief reporter Patrick Berger in the new episode of the podcast“ Die Dortmunder Woche ” .

“The change will definitely not take place in winter,” Berger is certain. (NEWS: All current information about the Bundesliga)