Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich, PSG, Chelsea, Manchester City following FC Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong; Barca linked to Corentin Tolisso; Niklas Süle’s next stop?; Donny van de Beek to Crystal Palace?; A goalkeeper swap deal?; and MORE!

City, Chelsea, Bayern, Juve, PSG head list of suitors for De Jong (Metro)

Bayern Munch, Manchester City, Chelsea, Juventus, and Paris Saint-Germain are all said to be among the list of contenders vying for FC Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong:

Bayern Munich have made contact with Frenkie de Jong’s representatives as they look to beat a string of Europe’s top clubs t the Barcelona midfielder’s signature, according to reports in Spain.

Manchester City and Chelsea have also been linked with a move for the Netherlands international, as have Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain

Manchester City seem like the most likely contenders to Bayern for De Jong’s signature, with Pep Guardiola being a fan of the midfielder since his Ajax days and trying to sign him at City when Barcelona brought him in.

De Jong revealed: ‘Before my signing for Barcelona was made official, Pep Guardiola called me,’ he told TV3.

‘He said in a serious, but kind of joking tone, that he was happy for me and congratulated me.’

De Jong to City makes the most sense, but will Pep Guardiola be there to manage that transition? The manager’s status could go a long way in determining if De Jong makes the move to Manchester City.

Stanisic back in team training (@FCBayernUS)

Josip Stanisic returned to Bayern Munich’s team training on Tuesday:

ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works Season 4, Episode 22 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich sure never leaves us in need of things to talk about.

You might be used to hearing two hosts on the Bavarian Podcast Works flagship show, but everyone else has been abducted (I think?), so you’ve got me on a solo mission to discuss the following topics:

• A look back at Bayern Munich’s dominant effort against Hertha Berlin.
• Niklas Süle’s potential exit from Bayern Munich, what it means from a sporting perspective and a financial perspective, and how even though it might seem like a big hole, the club will be able to replace him (at least somewhat).
• Breaking down why moves for FC Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong and Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz probably won’t happen.

Meanwhile, Barca has been linked to Tolisso again (The Hard Tackle)

Should Frenkie de Jong leave Catalonia, FC Barcelona could become a major player for Bayern Munich midfielder Corentin Tolisso:

The interest (in De Jong) from Bayern Munich might be a little surprising, considering the presence of Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka and Marcel Sabitzer. But with Corentin Tolisso likely to depart the Allianz Arena as a free agent, the Bundesliga heavyweights will need to enter the market for a long-term replacement.

Interestingly, Tolisso is a target for Barcelona, who could be battling Real Madrid in the race to sign the Frenchman on a free transfer in the summer. As for Bayern Munich, the Bavarian giants could have a major upgrade on Tolisso on their hands if de Jong arrives from Barcelona.

With so many young midfielders, I’m not sure that Tolisso would be assured of playing time with Barca, so that could weigh heavily into his planning.

Alvarez sigs with City (@FabrizioRomano)

Bayern Munich was linked with river Plate’s Julian Alvarez, but the striker has signed with Manchester City;

Chelsea link re-emerges for Süle (The Chelsea Chronicle)

The links between Chelsea and Niklas Süle are resurfacing now that the news that the Germany international will leave Bavaria has broken:

According to Sport Bild, Süle told those in charge of business at Bayern a few weeks ago that the renewal of his deal which runs out and the end of the season was off the cards.

The Bundesliga champions had apparently offered their defender a shiny new contract, with an increased salary of around £8m (Bild).

Yet, the 26-year-old rejected this offer, whilst simultaneously informing the club of his decision to leave either in January or the summer.

This should seriously alert the Stamford Bridge chain of command, who have their eyes set on Sule’s signature.

Yesterday, Sport1 claimed that contact had been made between Chelsea and the centre-back’s representatives over the potential of a free transfer.

Chelsea does seem like a logical destination for Süle, especially with Antonio Rüdiger and Andreas Christensen both at the end of their current contracts.

Per The Daily Express, though, Newcastle United is not giving up on Süle:

Newcastle United and Chelsea are set to battle it out for the signature of Bayern Munich centre-back Niklas Sule. The German has reportedly rejected the offer of renewed terms in Bavaria, which has alerted a handful of top clubs who could exploit a free transfer opportunity.

Wild Barca-PSG swap rumor (Sport1)

Could FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain be working together on goalkeeper swap? Probably not, but let’s take a look anyway:

Wild rumor about Marc-André ter Stegen: As the Spanish newspaper Fichajes reports, FC Barcelona could allegedly sell the national goalkeeper as part of a swap deal.

According to the report, the Catalans would like to bring Gianluigi Donnarumma to Barcelona in return. The Italian is currently under contract with Paris Saint-Germain and is not playing as often as hoped.

In order to save a transfer fee, Barca president Laporta reportedly wants to swap ter Stegen for Donnarumma.

However, it is questionable whether there will actually be a barter transaction. Just a year ago, the German goalkeeper extended his contract with the Catalans until 2025, accepting a drop in salary.

In addition, Donnarumma only moved from AC Milan to the French capital last summer. Accordingly, those responsible for PSG will probably not allow a transfer, the Italian is the man for the future.

Inter, Bayern emerge as Ginter favorites (Sport1)

Bayern Munich has been linked to Borussia Mönchengladbach defender Matthias Ginter, but Inter Milan is also a serious suitor for the Germany international:

Ginter was already an issue at FCB before the current season. As a Bundesliga professional and national player for many years, he would probably not have any settling-in difficulties and could replace Süle one-for-one. Other plus points: no fee for a change in the summer and a comparatively “normal” central defender’s salary for a top central defender.

The staff on Säbener Straße is not hot at the moment. According to SPORT1 information, Inter Milan is above all on Ginter, but for the Italians only a commitment in the summer would be an option.

At Borussia Mönchengladbach, as in the case of Zakaria, they are hoping for an immediate departure in order to receive a transfer fee for the 28-year-old. Bayern will not be ready for that.

As Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidzic said, though, the Bavarians will not be making any winter moves, so it would have to be a summer deal for Ginter in Bavaria:

Van de Beek to Palace? NUFC? (@FabrizioRomano)

Donny van de Beek was linked to Bayern Munich, but now Crystal Palace and Newcastle United could be in the running for the Manchester United midfielder. Ralf Rangnick wants to keep the Dutchman, but it could prove to be too difficult:

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

Another AFCON banger (@CBSSportsGolazo)

Check this out:

Another American to Germany (@MLSist)

According to journalist Pablo Iglesias Maurer, DC United youngster Kevin Paredes is headed to Wolfsburg: