Daily Schmankerl: Antony had a shot with Bayern Munich, but Kingsley Coman’s deal probably kills that; Borussia Dortmund bags Italian gem; Eden Hazard getting more heat over weight issues; and MORE!

Bayern has “loose” contact with Antony in the fall (Sport1)

Before it seemed like a lock that Bayern Munich would extend the contract of Kingsley Coman, the Bavarians had “loose contact” with Ajax winger Antony about a move to the club:

According to SPORT1 information, there had been loose contact with the Amsterdam right winger in autumn. Since then, there have been no concrete discussions because it became clear that Coman can again imagine a longer-term future in Munich.

Now that Coman seems certain to sign a new deal, the stories of Bayern Munich being interested in Antony, FC Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele, or Leeds United ace Raphinha should die down.

Brozovic to renew with Inter (Sport1)

Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic was briefly (and loosely) linked to Bayern Munich, but it appears his future is in Italy:

Marcelo Brozović is about to renew his contract with Inter Milan.

As the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reports, the Croatian already has an offer that is ready to be signed and is convinced that the reigning Italian champions will extend it until 2026.

The extension should be announced after the match in the Supercup against Juventus Turin on Thursday or at the latest after the Serie A game against Atalanta Bergamo on Sunday.

According to reports, the 29-year-old will earn six million euros net per year plus bonuses.

In the past, FC Bayern Munich was also said to be interested in Brozović.

ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works Season 4, Episode 20 (Bavarian Football Works)

After a long (and unintended) hiatus, BPW is finally back with a new episode! While we were gone, Bayern Munich concluded the winter break and came back to a disastrous Covid-19 situation at the club. Up to TEN players tested positive before the game against Borussia Monchengladbach, which the team ended up losing 2-1 to start off the new year. Not great, all things considered — but it did give us a lot to talk about.

In this episode, Ineednoname and Schnitzel discuss:

• The crazy situation with Covid-19 at the club, and how Julian Nagelsmann has coped.
• Were the players who tested positive (guys like Lucas Hernandez, Manuel Neuer, etc.) irresponsible by going abroad during vacation?
• Why was Bayern hit so hard by Covid?
• Another tangent on the state of the Bundesliga, stemming from frustration with how Gladbach play.
• Moving onto our main topic — has Marcel Sabitzer been a flop at Bayern Munich?
• Schnitzel gives an impassioned defense of the Austrian. INNN is unmoved.
• The problem(s) with Sabitzer so far.
• Schnitzel and INNN’s first argument of the year.
• Closing thoughts on the Sabitzer issue — what does he need to do to be accepted?
• A final quick look at the nominees for the FIFA The Best award — can Robert Lewandowski win it?

Not everyone was a fan of the Coman deal (@MLSTransfers)

The news that Kingsley Coman was going to re-up his deal with Bayern Munich was received as good news by many...but not all:

Of course, there is word that the initial €17 million figure is not quite correct, so perhaps the concern was unwarranted. We’ll see soon enough exactly what Coman’s new deal will bring his coffers.

Dortmund succeeds with Italian jewel (Sport1)

Borussia Dortmund continues to stockpile talented young players and has signed talented Sengalese-Italian Filippo Calixte Mané

He has already moved into his room at the BVB boarding school and the first U19 unit behind him on Monday. Filippo Calixte Mané has had a packed premiere day in Dortmund.

BVB has once again made the race for one of the greatest jewels. The Italian U17 international with Senegalese roots is considered one of the greatest defensive talents in the country of the European champions.

As SPORT1 learned exclusively from Italy, the heavyweights AC and Inter Milan as well as Juventus Turin were interested in the 1.88-meter-tall defender until recently.

According to SPORT1 information, the Turin residents even made a million-dollar offer for Mané - but the boy and his advisor wanted to go to Dortmund because of the better prospects.

All Bundesliga video highlights always from Monday, midnight in the SPORT1 media library and in the SPORT1 app

Annoying for Genoa: Instead of a transfer fee of more than one million euros (in Italy - unlike in Germany - it is allowed to negotiate free transfer fees for youth players without a contract), the Italians get nothing. BVB only pays the usual international training allowance for Mané. This should be between 100,000 and 200,000 euros.

A real bargain!

Hazard taking fat heat in homeland (Sport Bild)

Eden Hazard should have never left Chelsea FC.

Since then, he’s been battered for his beefiness and availability. Hazard was such a fantastic and exciting talent...it’s a shame to see what his reputation has become:

Jean-Marie Dedecker (69), Belgian ex-judoka, politician and mayor of the Belgian city of Middelkerke, criticized Eden Hazard, who has still not prevailed at Real Madrid.

Dedecker told the Belgian newspaper “Krant van West-Vlaanderen”: “The whole press complains about him. He’s really just a little man who’s gotten fat.”

I mean...that is harsh.

Best of Thomas Müller 2021 for Germany (DFB_Team)

Thomas Müller always provides some action and here is a brief snippet of his zaniness from 2021:

The full video was not available to me and could have ben geo-blocked, but you can try at the link inside the tweet.

ICYMI: The Weekend Warm-Up Podcast (Bavarian Football Works)

At this point, it feels like Bayern Munich is battling the Black Plague, Godzilla, and Thanos all at once, but such is 2022.

Even with all of that, the Bavarians have an exciting match against Gladbach and a whole lot more to talk about. Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A quick look at why Bayern Munich vs. Gladbach is exciting (Spoiler: It was not!)
• Why Julian Nagelsmann should walk into the locker room before the match, flip over a table and tell his team, “We’ll do it live!” (Spoilers: Whatever he did...it didn’t work!)
• The latest news on Kingsley Coman’s transfer saga and why he might be taking control of the situation.
• Why Bayern (hopefully) will not be making a run at Ousmane Dembele or Raphinha this summer.