Daily Schmankerl: Chelsea, Liverpool plotting move for Kingsley Coman; Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona scoping Luis Diaz; Juventus, Bayern want Antonio Rüdiger; Matthijs de Ligt’s release clause; and MORE!

Chelsea, LFC want Coman (Sport Bible)

Both Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC are primed to make a move for Bayern Munich star Kingsley Coman:

Chelsea and Liverpool have been put on red alert after Bayern Munich’s former sporting director has backed Kingsley Coman to leave the Bundesliga club.

Coman attracted interest from both Chelsea and Liverpool in the summer, but Bayern remained firm with their reported £86m asking price.

Coman, who has won a league title in every season of his club career, recently underwent heart surgery after the discovery of an irregularity.

Former Bayern sporting director Christian Nerlinger has tipped the France international to leave Munich, saying his former club will “consider selling him.”

He told BILD TV (as per The Daily Mirror): “I don’t think he will stay in Munich. Bayern had a recent tendency to lose players for free.”

For good measure — and I still cannot believe they do this — Chelsea put the Coman rumor on their official site:

According to The Mirror, both Chelsea and Liverpool have been alerted to Kingsley Coman’s situation at Bayern Munich.

The French defender is reportedly ready to leave the German champions for a fresh challenge next season, with the Blues and Liverpool both touted as potential Premier League destinations for Coman.

‘Chelsea and Liverpool are on ‘red alert’ after an ex-Bayern sporting director casted doubts over Coman’s future,’ the report states.

I do not understand Chelsea putting transfer rumors on their team website. Anyway, Coman has also been linked to Manchester United, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur at various points as well.

Bayern, Barca scoping Diaz? (The Hard Tackle)

Two clubs headed in opposite directions are allegedly in pursuit of the same player. Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona are reportedly eyeing Porto attacker Luis Diaz:

Barcelona are reportedly weighing up a move for 24-year-old Colombian attacker Luis Diaz, who is also a target for Bayern Munich.

According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, the list of admirers of Luis Diaz just continues to grow with each passing week. The 24-year-old FC Porto attacker has now become the subject of interest from Barcelona, with Bayern Munich also considering a move for him.

Luis Diaz has made swift progress in his career since joining FC Porto from Junior FC in the summer of 2019. A regular feature for the Portuguese giants, the Colombian international has started the 2021/22 season strongly, with five goals and an assist to show for his efforts in just seven outings so far.

ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works S4E7: Did Nagelsmann fix Leroy Sane, Bayern’s defensive masterclass, UEFA’s awful new FFP, and more! (Bavarian Podcast Works)

It’s been a tough week of games following the end of the international break, but Julian Nagelsmann and Bayern Munich have navigated them brilliantly. The Bavarians have scored 14 goals and conceded only once since coming back from international duty, which included games against the likes of RB Leipzig and Barcelona. Now, with a whole week’s break to look forward to, we can finally stop and take stock of how far the team has come since Julian Nagelsmann took over.

In this episode, Tom and Ineednoname discuss:

• Is Leroy Sane fixed? What did Nagelsmann do to him?
• How Bayern’s wingers are improving under the new coach.
• What Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka’s contract extensions mean for Bayern (and Germany).
• Talking about Bayern’s revamped defense, including our best backline.
• UEFA’s new FFP rules, and why they’re awful.
• Why the 50+1 rule is set to face another challenge.

Juve, Bayern scoping Rüdiger (Sports Mole)

With the news that Chelsea and Antonio Rüdiger probably cannot find an accord (at least as of now), both Bayern Munich and Juventus are pondering a move for the Germany international:

Juventus and Bayern Munich have both joined the race to sign Chelsea defender Antonio Rüdiger, according to a report.

The Germany international is yet to commit his future to the Champions League holders beyond 2022 and is being tipped to leave as a free agent at the end of the current campaign.

Thomas Tuchel remains hopeful that the club will find a solution with regards to Rudiger’s contract, but Chelsea could supposedly cash in on the centre-back amid his compatriot’s wishes.

De Ligt’s exit clause could trigger move away (Transfer Market Web)

Juventus center-back Matthijs de Ligt has an exorbitant release clause of €150 million, but his agent does not think that will prevent the player from leaving:

Matthijs de Ligt can apparently leave Juventus Turin in the summer for a fixed sum. According to ‘Rai Sport’, the 22-year-old will have a release clause of 150 million euros from the Italian record champions from next summer. According to advisor Mino Raiola, a change is possible.

De Ligt moved from Ajax Amsterdam to the Old Lady in 2019, where he is one of the permanent staff. The Dutchman receives an opulent salary at Juventus. The Turin team still want to keep their central defender. De Ligt’s contract runs until 2024.

On 18 July 2019, De Ligt signed for Serie A champions Juventus on a five-year contract for a fee of €75 million, to be paid in five annual installments, with additional costs of €10.5 million. He made his official debut for the club in a 4–3 home win over Napoli in Serie A on August 31.

De Ligt was once thought of as the best center-back prospect in the world, but his stock took a dive while with Juventus. Even though he was closely linked to Bayern Munich at one time, his exit fee, and the team’s current depth would probably block any rekindling of old desires.

Valencia eyeing Kramaric (Sport1)

Valencia could be planning a move for Hoffenheim’s Andre Kramaric:

The traditional Spanish club FC Valencia want to sign Croatian international striker Andrej Kramaric from TSG Hoffenheim next summer, Spanish media reported on Monday. The 30-year-old scored 20 goals for Kraichgauer in the Bundesliga last season.

Kramaric’s contract with TSG expires on June 30, 2022, so it would be available for free. In the past, the Croatian was already in conversation with FC Bayern Munich. Six-time champions Valencia finished 13th in La Liga last season.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 1, Episode 17 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich added VfL Bochum to the hit list this weekend after dismantling both RB Leipzig and FC Barcelona during the last week.

We are set to find out a lot about how Julian Nagelsmann intends to rotate his squad in the coming weeks, but there are several other hot topics on the agenda. Bayern Munich also inked Leon Goretzka to a new deal, which will keep him at the club through 2026.

Clearly, there is a lot to discuss. Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• Bayern Munich’s crazy strength defensively and why the club must sign Niklas Süle.
• Bayern Munich’s dominance over RB Leipzig and FC Barcelona.
• Leon Goretzka’s contract extension and what it means for the future of the midfield moving forward.
• Why it might be time to rest Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala.