Daily Schmankerl: Manchester United plotting move for Bayern Munich’s Benjamin Pavard; Bayern’s amazing streak; PSV to make a mint on Cody Gakpo; Arsenal’s prime transfer target; & MORE!

United to be a player for Pavard (Sports Mole)

Manchester United might be poised to make a strong offer for allegedly disgruntled Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard:

Manchester United have allegedly been alerted to the potential availability of Bayern Munich defender Benjamim Pavard. According to BILD, that pursuit may be aided by Pavard having recently acknowledged that he is open to departing the Allianz Arena.

The Frenchman told L’Equipe that he is “not against discovering a new project” after plying his trade in Germany since joining Stuttgart in 2016. A further report has indicated that Bayern have no intention of selling the right-sided defender during the January transfer window.

Nevertheless, with his contract due to expire in 2024, there are signs that Bayern will soon be left with decisions to make regarding the player. The report says that Pavard does not have any intention of entertaining a renewal at the dominant team in Germany, leaving open the possibility of an exit in 2023.

If Pavard really does want to leave Bavaria, he might not have a shortage of suitors. Chelsea FC, FC Barcelona, and Real Madrid are also reportedly interested. The x-factor here is what happens with Pavard now that he — allegedly — has made the decision to leave Bayern Munich.

Will Julian Nagelsmann and his staff begin to phase Pavard out of the rotation or will they lean on him all of the way through the end of the season.

This is pretty amazing (@ESPNFC)

Bayern Munich and Inter Milan will be represented in the World Cup final...AGAIN:

Gakpo expected to bring record fee to PSV (Sport1)

The market for PSV Eindhoven star Cody Gakpo continues to grow and the club is expecting a windfall from his eventual sale. Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Real Madrid are among the top contenders for Gakpo:

Dutchman Cody Gakpo scored three goals for his nation en route to the quarter-finals at the World Cup. He is now on the list for a winter signing at several top clubs. According to the Mirror, Manchester United, Newcastle and Real Madrid are said to have expressed interest.

United considered signing the 23-year-old back in the summer, but opted for Antony. With the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, a commitment from the national player would be of interest again. His current club PSV Eindhoven doesn’t stand in the way of a move, but demands a record fee. “You have to be realistic. Talking about Cody Gakpo and the price, how many clubs are able to buy a player of this caliber? They’re talking about maybe 10 or 12 clubs in Europe,” said Marcel Brands.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Podcast: Season 2, Episode 23 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich’s season is unraveling. Germany got booted early from the World Cup. Argentina and France are set to duke it out in the World Cup finale.

Things have clearly not been coming up BFW lately, but here we are — still grinding away.

With so much going on, you know there is a ton to talk about, so let’s get to it. This is what we have on tap for this week’s episode:

• Germany’s task force/advisory council and what impact can they really make?
• The crazy transfer rumors we heard this week: Konrad Laimer’s potential positions? Marcel Sabitzer out? Marcus Rashford over Harry Kane?
• A look at Manuel Neuer’s injury, what it means for Bayern Munich, and why replacing him has become such a debacle. Alexander Nübel, Dominik Livaković, Yann Sommer, and Keylor Navas all have been mentioned as solutions.
• Babbling about the backline: Injury clauses in a contract proposal to Lucas Hernandez? Benjamin Pavard is definitely out, but the coaches want to keep him, and MORE!
• Why the second half of this season will be Julian Nagelsmann’s biggest test as a coach.

Gunners make Mudryk top priority (The Athletic via 90Min.com)

Arsenal FC has made Mykhaylo Mudryk its top priority for the winter transfer window. Is the flavor of the month or the real deal? The Gunners might find out soon enough:

Arsenal have made signing Mykhaylo Mudryk their priority for the January transfer window and believe they can negotiate a deal below Shakhtar Donetsk’s public €100m asking price.

Interesting map graphic (@fbref)

If you wondered who the most popular clubs were in a specific state (why you might wonder about this is a whole separate issue), the folks at FBref put together a pretty cool map:

Tillman’s assist is straight fire (@WATP_com)

This set up from Bayern Munich loanee Malik Tillman during Rangers’ 3-2 victory over Hibernian is pretty fantastic: