Daily Schmankerl: Arsenal willing to pay €70 million for Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sané; Joško Gvardiol becoming hot target; Manchester United bows out of race for Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham; Real Madrid no longer chasing Erling Haaland; & MORE!

Gunners to pay €70 million for Sané (Caught Offside)

The bizarre rumors linking Bayern Munich star Leroy Sané to Arsenal FC, just got a little more odd.

Yesterday, we saw the story break that Sané and Serge Gnabry will be competing for time at right-wing (and pretty much only right-wing). This is notable because Sané prefers to play on the left side and has performed better on the left side. In fact, you could argue that Sané has played better on the left and centrally than on the right side.

No to mention, Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann isolating two players in their prime to compete over playing time at one position seems shortsighted. and will likely not sit well with the players — especially Sané.

Anyway, if there is even an inkling of truth to the rumor (debatable at best), Arsenal is willing to pay up to €70 million for the Germany international:

Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane has been linked with a move away from the German club in recent months. The 26-year-old has been linked with a move to Arsenal and a report from Fichajes claims that the Gunners will have to pay a fee of around €70 million to secure his services.

The Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta knows the player from his time at Manchester City and he likes the German international. It will be interesting to see if he can convince the club hierarchy to splash out on the German winger in the upcoming windows.

Could there really be any credence to this? The timing is peculiar to say the least, but it does still feel like it could be a little premature.

Gvardiol winning more suitors at World Cup (@FabrizioRomano)

If there is one (relatively available) player who has helped his case immensely at the World Cup, it is RB Leipzig and Croatia defender Joško Gvardiol.

Gvardiol has been an absolute menace at center-back for Croatia and despite having signed a contract extension with Leipzig just a few months ago, clubs are circling around the defender and might be willing to overpay.

Schlotterbeck eyeing transfer (Sport1)

SC Freiburg center-back Keven Schlotterbeck is looking to leave the club:

Keven Schlotterbeck wants to leave SC Freiburg in winter. The reason: He does not get beyond the reserve role with the Bundesliga club under Christian Streich.

“I’m a little disappointed with the playing time I’ve gotten so far. I have a lot planned before the start of the season and unfortunately the number of minutes played doesn’t reflect my expectations,” says Schlotterbeck at transfermarkt.de.

The central defender goes on to explain: “I am in contact with those responsible at SC Freiburg and ultimately I hope that together we will find a good solution for my situation.” The brother of national player Nico Schlotterbeck has only made five appearances this season.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 5, Episode 23 (Bavarian Football Works)

Well, Germany are out of the World Cup, and as a Bayern Munich fan it feels miserable to see how devastated everyone looks because of it. This elimination hits much harder after the disaster in 2018, and it could have serious implications for the club season coming up, especially in the Champions League.

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

• How much blame does Hansi Flick deserve for the elimination? Fergus and INNN argue two different positions.
• What effect did personnel issues — especially in defense — have on Germany’s performance?
• How Flick misused his Bayern Munich core this tournament, especially Thomas Muller.
• Addressing the role of the DFB in this debacle.
• Should Hansi Flick be the coach for Euro 2024?
• Did Germany have a mentality problem at World Cup 2022?
• Did Spain knock Germany out on purpose by losing to Japan?
• Moving onto another topic — can any Bayern Munich player still win the World Cup? Assessing France, Croatia, Morocco, and the Netherlands.
• How getting knocked out early could be an advantage for Bayern.
• The psychological impact of early eliminations at the World Cup.

United pulls out (Sky via 90Min.com)

Manchester United is reportedly pulling out of its pursuit of Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham, which would leave Liverpool FC, Manchester City, and Real Madrid left to fight over the England international:

Manchester United have pulled out of the race to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham. Instead, the Englishman will have the chance to join Liverpool, Manchester City or Real Madrid.

Madrid not chasing Haaland any more (Fichajes)

Real Madrid might not be willing to wait around for Manchester City star Erling Haaland and instead could focus on Endrick:

And it seems that Real Madrid is the entity currently leading the race for the signing of the young Canarinho talent. This source goes even one step further. It does it to point out the key factor that can determine whether Endrick ends up landing in the Spanish capital in exchange for the €60 million in which his termination clause currently stands.

According to Marca, Real Madrid does not have the possible signing of the Norwegian Erling Haaland as a priority. Among the reasons are that “There are doubts about the injuries suffered by the striker of the English team, but above all the most negative variable points to the high salary he receives” .

This factor could be key in a possible landing for Endrick at the Santiago Bernabéu. And it is that from Endrick’s environment it is considered key that the striker does not coincide with Erling Haaland in the same squad. The presence of the Nordic giant could stop the progression of the Brazilian, something that would not happen in the capital of Spain. And so it is that Real Madrid is clear that its priority goes through Endrick.

That’s fine...do any more clubs want to proactively take themselves out of the running for the Norwegian? All the better for Bayern Munich at some point I guess.