Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund emerge as top contenders for Chelsea’s Andreas Christensen; Thoughts on Niklas Süle’s exit; Barca wants Bayern youth Gabriel Vidovic; Cody Gakpo on Bayern’s radar; and MORE!

Bayern not alone in Christensen pursuit (Sport1)

If Bayern Munich is seriously considering a move for Chelsea FC Andreas Christensen, the Rekordmeister will have competition from FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund for the Dane:

The Chelsea FC defender would also be available for a free transfer in the summer. SPORT1 knows: The Bayern bosses met the management of the Danish central defender in December to express their interest.

Like (Denis) Zakaria, Christensen has several options, including Bayern rivals Borussia Dortmund and FC Barcelona. In contrast to Zakaria, though, the former Gladbacher can still imagine an extension with his current employer. In addition to attractive sporting prospects, the 25-year-old also wants the prospect of a better salary.

According to SPORT1 information, with a gross weekly salary of around 100,000 euros, he is one of the low earners in the Blues. It is said that Christensen is now demanding twice as much – calculated over the year, that would be almost ten million euros. A proud sum that Süle would also like to earn.

It is still hard to imagine that Bayern Munich will make a serious offer for Christensen, but with the news that Niklas Süle is leaving, anything is possible.

Süle’s probable departure is a big miss for the club. From a sporting perspective Süle is a unique center-back given his natural size, strength, and speed and looked to be a foundational piece for both club and country. Financially, not being able to sell Süle is a huge whiff as well.

It is unclear exactly when the Germany international started to sour on a future with Bayern Munich, but the signing of Dayot Upamecano really might have put everything in motion. Ambitious and talented, Süle likely saw that move as a bit of a slight.

Whatever the case, Süle will be looking to looking to top the €10 million offer that he — allegedly — received from Bayern Munich. Exactly what he gets remains to be seen, but there is an element of a gamble on himself that Süle is undertaking.

How that wager works will play a big role in the player’s happiness over the next three-to-four seasons.

Barca’s hunt for Vidovic intensifies (The Hard Tackle)

FC Barcelona is keeping a close eye on Bayern Munich prospect Gabriel Vidovic. Should the youngster not get an opportunity to break through to the first team this season, it will be interesting to see if starts to flirt with other clubs:

Barcelona are reportedly keeping a keen eye on the progress of 18-year-old Bayern Munich wonderkid Gabriel Vidovic.

According to a report by German outlet Sport1, Gabriel Vidovic is the subject of interest from Barcelona. The Catalan giants, along with several German clubs, are closely monitoring the 18-year-old Bayern Munich prodigy’s progress and could launch the offensive for him.

Vidovic’s contract with Bayern Munich runs through 2023, so there is not necessarily any urgency to act on anything just yet for the Bavarians.

ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Bayern Munich 4-1 Hertha Berlin (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich entertained against Hertha Berlin in one of the best performances (granted there are many) under Julian Nagelsmann; Bayern passed the 100-goal mark in the Nagelsmann era.

In this post-game podcast, we cover the following:

• A quick look back at the game
• Thoughts on the back three and Benjamin Pavard
• Bayern’s best center-back pairing
• Dayot Upamecano’s error
• Serge Gnabry’s inconsistency and why he should still be on the team
• Bayern’s positional fluency
• Bayern’s line-up and why it worked
• What Hertha was lacking today and who they could have used to cause Bayern more trouble
• Thoughts on Thomas Müller’s and Leroy Sané’s performances
• What today told us about Bayern moving forward

Miss the match? Check out the highlights (YouTube — FC Bayern Munich)

If you missed Bayern Munich’s 4-1 win over Hertha Berlin, you can still check out the highlights:

Bayern players recognized for standout performances (@WhoScored)

Several Bayern Munich players were recognized for their efforts against Hertha Berlin. Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane, Joshua Kimmich, and Serge Gnabry were all part of WhoScored.com’s Bundesliga Team of the Week:

Sane was honored by Bild:

Kimmich got the nod from kicker:

Kimmich and Sane earned spots on WhoScored.com’s Team of the Week for Europe’s Top 5 leagues:

Bayern back in on Gakpo? (@FootballOranje_)

Bayern Munich was linked to PSV Eindhoven forward Cody Gakpo months ago, but that interest could be sprouting back up per one report:

ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 1, Episode 34 (Bavarian Football Works)

It was a big week in the world of Bayern Munich as Robert Lewandowski received a big honor and we received contract news on Serge Gnabry and sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidzic — along with a potential move for Denis Zakaria.

This is what we have on tap for this episode:

• Why Lewandowski deserved better from Lionel Messi.
• The latest on a potential contract extension for Gnabry.
• Somewhat begrudgingly giving Brazzo respect and acknowledging he deserves a contract extension (even if he royally botched the Hansi Flick ordeal last season).
• The potential transfer of Zakaria, what it might cost, when it could happen, and who might be affected on the roster.
• How far along I am in with the Bayern documentary and where I stand on the other shows I’m watching.