Daily Schmankerl: Arsenal to chase Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane; Real Madrid’s offer to Bayern for Benjamin Pavard will be LOW; Inter Milan isn’t giving up on Gladbach’s Marcus Thuram; Ashton United won’t pursue Cristiano Ronaldo; & MORE!

Gunners lobbing inquiry on Sané (TEAM TALK)

Bayern Munich is not likely to part ways with Leroy Sané, but some reports are implying that the Germany international would be okay with an exit from the Rekordmeister.

It seems very doubtful and on Monday we saw that Liverpool might be among the interested parties. Now, we can add Arsenal FC to the docket — even if most of us think there is very little chance that Bayern Munich would be willing to sell off the talented attacker:

Arsenal are among a cluster of clubs to enquire about Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane, and a report has revealed both his and the club’s feelings on a surprise exit.

The signing of Sane from Man City back in 2020 was viewed as a serious coup for Bayern Munich. The lively winger was and remains one of Germany’s finest stars and bringing him back to the Bundesliga was an impressive feat.

His deal could ultimately cost €60m pending the activation of future add-ons. Aged 24 at the time, many believed Sane would be a mainstay in Bavaria in a similar manner to Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben before him.

Sané, of course, will miss Germany’s game against Japan due to a knee injury.

That time Mané almost went to United (The Mirror)

At one point, Bayern Munich star Sadio Mané almost went to Manchester United:

Sadio Mane might not be playing at the 2022 World Cup, but that hasn’t stopped former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal revisiting the time he attempted to bring the Ballon d’Or runner-up to Old Trafford.

Van Gaal, who managed United between 2014 and 2016, is preparing for his swansong as Netherlands boss. His team will begin their World Cup campaign against a Senegal side shorn of star man Mane, with the forward ruled out of the tournament after sustaining an injury playing for club side Bayern Munich.

Mane himself has spoken about how close he was to joining the Manchester club, only for Liverpool to beat them to the punch. The situation was raised once more ahead of the game in Qatar, and Van Gaal reiterated his stance.

“I wanted him when I was the manager at Man Utd,’ Van Gaal said ahead of the opener. “I chased him at the time. “I am a fan of Mane. He can break open a match and I would say Senegal will really miss him.”

Massive loss for England (@ArsenalWFC)

Beth Mead is arguably England’s best player and she suffered a terrible knee injury (yes, another ACL injury for star footballer) that will likely keep her on the sidelines for the Women’s World Cup next summer in Australia and New Zealand:

Speedy recovery!

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 2, Episode 20

Bayern Munich is on break, but its 17 players (16 now with Sadio Mané officially on the shelf) who were called to their international teams for the World Cup certainly are not. There will be a ton of activity for the Bayern boys as the tournament in Qatar is set to kick off.

What does that mean? There is still plenty to talk about with both the German national team and with Bayern Munich. Predictions, transfer talk, a deep dive into the decision-making of a phenom, and more!

Let’s get right to it and see what we have on tap for this episode:

• A look at Germany’s unconvincing performance against Oman why it isn’t time to panic yet, and how this can all round into form pretty quickly.
• A run through each World Cup group with predictions on who will survive and advance.
• Is Paul Wanner Bayern Munich’s Anakin Skywalker?
• Why the end is near for Benjamin Pavard at Bayern Munich.
• A quick look back at what to think about Bayern Munich’s first half of the season.
• We’ve got all of that and even a little more as I — finally — found something (somewhat) good to say about the final season of The Walking Dead. And yes, I realize that I am probably the only knucklehead still watching it!

Madrid to make €18 million offer on Pavard? (The Hard Tackle)

Is Real Madrid’s offer for Benjamin Pavard going to be a paltry €18 million? One report thinks so:

Real Madrid will reportedly be willing to shell out up to €18 million to sign versatile French defender Benjamin Pavard from Bayern Munich.

According to a report by Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Real Madrid will be open to paying between €15 million and €18 million to sign Benjamin Pavard. The versatile French defender might leave Bayern Munich in the 2023 summer transfer window.

The thought of Bayern Munich being sick of Pavard’s act and selling him in the winter transfer window died when Lucas Hernandez suffered a major knee injury against Australia in the World Cup, but Real Madrid seems set on the Frenchman for next summer

Maybe I over-value Pavard, but that Madrid number seems very low no matter when that bid comes in.

Inter not giving up on Thuram (Sempre Inter)

Inter Milan could be getting very serious about an offer for Marcus Thuram:

Inter are set to meet with the agent of Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram’s agent in Qatar to try and get a deal done for him ahead of Bayern Munich. This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who report that the Nerazzurri will hold talks with the 25-year-old’s agent regarding the possibility of a January move.

It is no secret that Inter are keen on signing Thuram, and according to the Gazzetta, signing him in January rather than waiting until he is available on a free transfer next summer has become a key part of their strategy. Bayern are also keen on the Frenchman, and signing him ahead of the German champions could prove tough given both the competitive project and the wages that they could offer.

However, the Nerazzurri are ready to make their move, and will not waste any time starting talks. To this end, Inter are planning to meet with Thuram’s agent in Qatar, where an injury to Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema could mean that the Gladbach forward has an increased role in the French national team’s squad at the World Cup.

I like these people (@AshtonUnitedFC)

The social media team at Ashton United FC made their mark by offering Erling Haaland a place to play during the World Cup break and now they followed up by chiming in on the Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Manchester United feud:

I love it.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 5, Episode 21 (Bavarian Football Works)

Well, the 2022 FIFA World Cup is underway and a bunch of our Bayern Munich boys are set to kick off against Japan in the inaugural game of Group E. Germany have a solid team and a coach with the credentials to win it all, but that doesn’t mean that everything looks good. Problems with the attack, lineup selection headaches, defensive issues, and potential injuries all threaten to derail this German campaign before it even begins. Can Hansi Flick beat the odds and come out on top?

In this episode, we talk about the following:

• Why Germany might be in trouble this World Cup.
• Hansi Flick’s lack of room to experiment.
• Why the “Bayern Munich formula” might not be enough.
• Everything that needs to get right for Germany to be successful (and why it probably won’t happen).
• A take on Manuel Neuer’s decision to wear the One Love armband in Qatar (be nice!).
• Finishing off on a classic INNN monologue about Thomas Müller and his World Cup scoring record.