Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich exit from race for Josko Gvardiol gives Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool hope; Lionel Messi to extend deal with PSG; Yann Sommer dreaming of playing for Manchester United; Inter Milan keeping Robin Gosens; & MORE!

Bayern’s exit on Gvardiol sweepstakes opens door for others (HITC)

Via an interview with Sport Bild, Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidžić removed his club from the running for RB Leipzig star defender Josko Gvardiol.

That move has given Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur renewed hope that they can compete with the likes of Chelsea FC and Real Madrid for the talented Croatian:

Bayern Munich have ruled out a move for Croatian World Cup star Josko Gvardiol amid interest from Premier League giants Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City in the RB Leipzig defender, via BILD.

According to 90Min, both Liverpool and Spurs have made their interest known. Gvardiol is a long-time target of the North London outfit; Tottenham having looked at the 20-year-old before bringing in Clement Lenglet on loan last summer. Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester City are also in a race with more contenders than the Grand National. According to FootMercato, City could even break the £100 million barrier on bringing Gvardiol to the Etihad Stadium.

Is Sommer’s dream to play for United? (Sport Witness)

Bayern Munich has been closely linked to a move for Borussia Mönchengladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer, but is it his secret desire to transfer to Manchester United? According to Bild, it is a “dream” for Sommer to play for the Red Devils:

Borussia Mönchengladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer has just over six months left on his deal and is attracting interest from both Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

The Bavarian club joined the battle for the 34-year-old after Manuel Neuer picked up a serious injury earlier this month. The latter has been ruled out for the rest of this season.

According to Bild, Bayern’s idea is to take Sommer in January and offer him a deal until the end of this season. This would let him ‘fulfil his dream’ of England and Manchester United in the summer.

The goalkeeper has already had contact with both Erik ten Hag’s side and Bayern. Due to their difficult financial situation, Bild explain Gladbach can hardly refuse a multi-million offer, especially since the player’s contract expires in 2023.

Moukoko’s future with BVB in doubt (Sky via 90Min.com)

Borussia Dortmund youngster Youssoufa Moukoko might be eyeing a move to the Premier League with Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC, and Manchester United as the front runners:

The agent of young star Youssoufa Moukoko says the attacker is not currently close to penning a new contract with Borussia Dortmund. He has been linked with Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea. (Sky Germany)

Bavarian Podcast Works: Special Edition — Wrapping up the World Cup and breaking down Germany’s poor showing (Bavarian Football Works)

No Bayern Munich players walked out of Qatar with championship medal, but that does not mean the World Cup was uneventful or not worthwhile.

The tournament was a fun, rollicking, and sometimes unpredictable affair that ultimately saw Lionel Messi finalize his case to be known as the G.O.A.T., France make an unbelievable comeback in the finale led by its own superstar, Kylian Mbappe, and most pertinent here, Germany flail and fail its way home far earlier than it should have.

We dusted off former BFW podcaster/writer and current Daily Mail scribe Jake Fenner for a special edition to talk about the tourney’s big happenings. This is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A look at the fantastic finale — and why Argentina deserved to win.
• Lionel Messi’s strong claim to being the best ever.
• Kylian Mbappe’s growth as a leader.
• Germany’s massive flame out, where things go from here, and why some fans might have missed Timo Werner.

Report: Messi to extend with PSG for one more year (@le_Parisien_PSG)

World Cup winner Lionel Messi has reportedly extended his contract with Paris Saint-Germain for another year:

EXCLUSIVE | Messi has given his word to PSG leaders to extend his contract for at least one more season. The two sides reached an agreement during the World Cup #psg #messi

Fabrizio Romano confirmed the news:

While we are on the topic of Messi, check this out:

Here is the actual Instagram post:

Gosens stuck with Inter (Sport1)

Inter Milan has no intention of letting Robin Gosens skip town:

Inter Milan sporting director Piero Ausilio has declared Robin Gosens not for sale. Although the German national player is flirting with a return to the Bundesliga, a change seems impossible for this winter. Apparently there is no shortage of inquiries. Frankfurt and Leverkusen are said to be interested in a transfer. Gosens, who was not nominated for the World Cup in Qatar due to insufficient playing time after an injury during the season , is now to be counted on at Inter.

“Gosens is a strong player, a German national player, I am convinced that he will do very well at Inter and that he will soon return to the national team,” Ausilio told Sky Italia.net). “During these days of preparation I saw Atalanta Gosens again. We think that from now on there will be a different Gosens than before,” says the sporting director happily.

Tuchel brushing up on his Spanish (@cfbayern)

Former Chelsea FC boss Thomas Tuchel is apparently brushing up on in Spanish. Hmmm....could that mean a move to La Liga is in his future? Sport Bild’s Christian Falk seems to think so after he tagged FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid:

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 5, Episode 25 (Bavarian Football Works)

What. A. Game. Was that the best game of football ever? Maybe. The 2022 FIFA World Cup comes to a close with an incredible 3-3 draw between France and Argentina in the final. For once, a Bayern Munich player will not be coming home with the trophy as Messi and his Argentina side triumphed on penalties to win a well-earned world champion title.

In this episode, Schnitzel and INNN talk about the following:

• What this World Cup final means for the two of us in India. Adding some cultural context for those who may not know.
• Our quick impressions about the final. Is Lionel Messi the greatest ever?
• Kylian Mbappe — what a player. The one player who always lives up to the hype.
• The incredible talent and quality of the French national team.
• Should Benjamin Pavard have played instead of Jules Kounde? The strange egotism of Pavard these days.
• The incredible performance of Dayot Upamecano — our only hope vs PSG.
• The implications of this final on Bayern’s upcoming Champions League clash vs PSG.
• How this World Cup seems to have completely derailed Bayern Munich’s season.
• Can Julian Nagelsmann pull back his players from this disappointment?
• If the worst happens, how should Nagelsmann be judged?
• How the goalkeeper search is going so far — our impressions.
• Closing out with a quick note about Bayern Frauen.
• A request — please do suggest topics to be discussed in the coming weeks.