Daily Schmankerl: Liverpool is serious about Bayern Munich’s David Alaba; Juventus eyeing Bayern Munich target Florian Neuhaus; Borussia Dortmund getting serious with Luka Jovic?; FC Barcelona’s on-field implosion; and MORE!

LFC serious about Alaba (Sport Witness)

Many are assuming that Bayern Munich will bolt for Real Madrid after the season, but Liverpool is heavily involved with the Austrian, despite what some other reports say:

On Tuesday, David Alaba confirmed he will leave Bayern Munich when his contract with them expires at the end of this season. He also revealed his agent is “negotiating with other clubs”. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool and a few other top European clubs are named as potential suitors for the 28-year-old.

The Austria international hasn’t revealed where he will play next season, but his comments created headlines all across Europe, including in Spain. Sport stated on Wednesday there will be an ‘open bid’ for the versatile player, who can operate as a centre-back, left-back or a defensive midfielder.

Liverpool get a mention, along with Manchester City, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, and it’s claimed these clubs ‘began bidding’ for the Austrian in January. Liverpool, for their part, started their work from January and they will have to step up their efforts, if they retain any hope of beating Real Madrid to his signature.

At this point Alaba could go anywhere, but if you offer him the best financial deal, I’d say you have a good chance to land him — plain and simple.

Juve plotting big move for Neuhaus (Transfer Market Web)

Could Juventus be planning to swoop in and grab Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Florian Neuhaus away from Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund? Maybe:

According to latest rumours, Juventus are getting more and more adamant over having a run at German international defensive midfielder Florian Neuhaus (23). Borussia Mönchengladbach powerhouse, worth around 40 million euros, is still tracked by a lot of important clubs around Europe, namely Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Tottenham.

I’m not saying good, young German players should be scared to leave Germany, but I think some — including Neuhaus — should at least develop a little more before making such a move. Not everyone has the insane self-confidence and emotional shield that Toni Kroos has. Kroos can be terrible in a game and still think he was god’s gift to the game. You can’t develop that mentality, you are simply born that way.

It is far better to finely-tune your game into a finished product before moving, as the Bundesliga affords players that opportunity (hence why so many young Americans are playing in Germany). In England — and to a lesser extent Spain — the chance of failure is heightened by the intense media scrutiny and rampant scapegoating. Heck, even Thiago Alcántara hasn’t escaped that and he’s 29-year-old.

Italy might not prove to be as harsh as England or Spain for Neuhaus, but Juventus is not exactly going to be an easy lineup to break into consistently. At 23-years-old, any move needs to supply a few things for Neuhaus (or any young player):

• A good and stable training environment
• An opportunity for consistent playing time
• Some life-changing wages (like any move should)

If any of those factors are not present for a move, then he should move along.

Rudiger says he’s not responsible for what he’s done in London (@cfbayern)

Timo Werner and Kai Havertz have gotten slaughtered in the media so far in England, but Chelsea defender Antonio Rüdiger — who played a key role in recruiting the German youngsters — has washed his hands of the situation by saying “on the pitch, they can only help themselves”:

Barca’s implosion caught on field mics (@UCLonCBSSports)

When Paris Saint-Germain trounced FC Barcelona 4-1 it was ugly for every player, club official, or fan of the La Liga club. Moreover, the field mics caught just how much disarray Barca was in on the pitch:

BVB getting hotter for Jovic (Transfer Market Web)

Borussia Dortmund might truly be ready to see how it can pry Luka Jovic away from Real Madrid — with or without a move for Erling Haaland part of the mix:

Playing for Eintracht Frankfurt again, since last mid-January, Serbian international striker Luka Jovic (23) is getting more and more of a major target for Borussia Dortmund, according to latest German news. Bundesliga giants are planning a run at the former Benfica hitman, still on a parent-club deal with Real Madrid until June 2025, as long as Erling Haaland leaves for good.

It would be great to see Jovic stay in the Bundesliga whether that is somehow staying with Die Adler or with a move to Dortmund.

No drainage at this field, eh? (@SundayShoutsFC)

This is a Bavarian Grass Works special edition in the making:

Haaland gets it (@BlackYellow)

Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland is a player who just “gets it” and is able to poke fun at himself: