Daily Schmankerl: Borussia Dortmund adding Nico Schlotterbeck to join Bayern Munich’s Niklas Süle?; Robert Lewandowski is amazing; Liverpool pursuing Renato Sanches?; Newcastle United plotting strong push for Thomas Müller?; and MORE!

Schlotterbeck to join Süle at BVB? (kicker)

Is Borussia Dortmund building a completely German-engineered backline? With Bayern Munich’s Niklas Süle already on the roster for next season, BVB is reportedly considering an acquisition of SC Freiburg star and Germany international Nico Schlotterbeck:

In the event that Akanji decides to make a change, another position would have to be filled for the coming season: In addition to Süle, only Mats Hummels (33) would definitely be in the squad for 2022/23, with the injury -prone Dan-Axel Zagadou (22) running everything towards a new contract. Soumaila Coulibaly (18), who is now performing well in the U23s after tearing his cruciate ligament last summer, could move up to become number five central defender . A permanent commitment of the previously loaned Marin Pongracic (24) from VfL Wolfsburg is no longer an issue.

In addition to Süle, another German national player could become one: Nico Schlotterbeck (22) from SC Freiburg would be the type of player predestined for the idea of ​​coach Marco Rose, both in a basic order with a three-man and four-man chain. There would be financial scope for this solution if Akanji were transferred.

And Freiburg is probably waving a full fee for Schlotterbeck for the last time this summer, according to kicker information, his working paper ends in 2023. Even if Schlotterbeck has not explicitly ruled out staying, the club’s efforts to extend the contract will not have much chance of success.

Adding both Süle and Schlotterbeck would certainly be an incredible set of moves for Borussia Dortmund. Does the club have the money to make it happen?

Former coach says Christensen a fit for Bayern (Sport1)

Depending on who you believe, Bayern Munich is either fully in on Chelsea FC’s Andreas Christensen — or passing on the Dane because he wants too much money. Regardless, his old coach, André Schubert, thinks he would be a natural fit in Bavaria:

A supporter of a Bayern deal would be Christensen’s former coach at Borussia Mönchengladbach, André Schubert.

“Christensen would go well with Bayern and Julian Nagelsmann because he is very intelligent, strategically very, very good and clever and - as I just mentioned - has a very good positional play,” said Schubert, who played between September 2015 and December 2016 Danes coached at Gladbach, at Sky .

In the build-up game, Christensen “does what is expected of him. If he has to take more risks or dribble more often, he will do that too.” Schubert continues: “He’s someone who plays a back three, a back four and definitely also in front of the defence. I could well imagine that he could help Bayern.”

The imminent farewell to Niklas Süle leaves a gap in Bayern’s central defense. Should Christensen not extend his contract in London, he would be available on a free transfer - and that also brings FC Barcelona onto the scene. As reported by Sport from Spain, the 25-year-old is also in demand there. The financially troubled top club from La Liga invested a lot in the offensive in the winter, now the defense should be strengthened.

Uh, this is amazing (@OliverKahn)

How good is Robert Lewandowski? Oliver Kahn has some video evidence:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Preview Show — Bayern Munich vs. VfL Bochum (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich has had an absolutely wild week off-the-pitch and things were even complicated with the team’s health as Jamal Musiala tested positive for COVID-19, while Sven Ulreich had a scare — before testing negative.

There are certainly enough reasons for the squad to be distracted against VfL Bochum, so Julian Nagelsmann will be tested. Can the manager keep his players focused on the task at hand (VfL Bochum)? Or, will the team be distracted by the transfer drama surrounding Niklas Süle, next Wednesday’s Champions League showdown with Red Bull Salzburg, or the creeping thoughts about missing players like Manuel Neuer and Jamal Musiala?

Regardless, this is what we have on tap:

• A look at the recent form of each team.
• A chance for players like Sven Ulreich and potentially Paul Wanner to shine.
• A prediction on the match.

LFC contemplating Sanches move? (Liverpool Echo)

Renato Sanches has rebuilt his reputation a bit after a tumultuous stint at Bayern Munich and now looks like he could be ready to make a move to one of the word’s elite clubs.

Where will he end up? Well, Liverpool is reportedly ready to consider the Lille midfielder to sure up its roster:

Some transfer stories are destined to recirculate every six months or so. It’s always hard to know whether the interest from the potential buying club is genuine and sustained, with them biding their time to make their move, or if agents are trying to raise their player’s profile ahead of the next window.

And the situation appears to be similar for Lille’s Renato Sanches, who was heavily rumoured to be on his way to Anfield last summer. As Sanches’ current contract expires in the summer of 2023, the next transfer window will represent Lille’s last chance to charge a decent fee for the 24-year-old.

He’s also the perfect age to move to Liverpool, at least based on their transfer activity in recent times. While there have been exceptions such as Thiago Alcantara, the vast majority of signings have been between 23 and 25 years old, and Sanches will have just turned 25 when next season gets underway.

Bayern’s all-in move for Christensen gaining steam? (Chelsea Chronicle)

Depending on who you believe, Bayern Munich is either fully out on Chelsea FC defender Andreas Christensen or fully “convinced” on the 25-year-old. There does not appear to be much of an in-between on the matter for most folks:

Bayern Munich have reportedly concluded their pursuit of Antonio Rüdiger but will continue to chase fellow Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen. According to Goal, the Bundesliga champions view Christensen rather than Rüdiger as the replacement for Niklas Sule.

Bayern will be losing Sule to bitter rivals Borussia Dortmund once his contract expires in the summer. Someone must fill the sizeable 6ft4in hole left in the Bavarian’s squad once BVB acquire the centre-back. It seems Bayern have identified Christensen as the man to do so.

Bayern Munich’s “big five” targets of Chelsea FC’s Christensen and Antonio Rüdiger, SC Freiburg’s Nico Schlotterbeck, Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Mattias Ginter, and Juventus center-back Matthijs de Ligt.

ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works — Reaction show: Bayern Munich’s Niklas Süle moves to Borussia Dortmund (Bavarian Football Works)

Wow...so the news finally dropped and Bayern Munich fans had to feel stunned that it became official: Niklas Süle is transferring to Bundesliga rival Borussia Dortmund during the summer transfer window.

Join us as we react to the deal and how we feel like it all got to this point. At one point, Süle seemed fit to play the role of generational center-back for both Bayern Munich and Germany, but something went off the rails along the way.

What led Süle to move to Borussia Dortmund — especially when his salary might be the same as he was offered at Bayern Munich? What happened to the rumored big pay days that were going to be on the way from clubs like Chelsea FC or Newcastle United? Most importantly, how did we get to this point, where the player who has arguably been the team’s best defender will leave for free?

Jones says NUFC will come strong after Müller in the summer (Give Me Sport)

Pundit Dean Jones is fully expecting Newcastle United to make a strong push for Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller:

What did Jones say about Müller?

He told GIVEMESPORT: “Müller is an interesting one as he was talked about in January but that was premature. He was never gettable, and Newcastle knew that.

“But there is a chance he considers his Bayern future for the first time in the summer and if that happens, Newcastle will be knocking on his door.”

It remains extremely unlikely that Müller moves on, but speculation will continue as long as Newcastle has stacks of cash to throw around.

Getting ready for the Super Bowl (@tsghoffenheimEN)

Bayern Munich loanee Chris Richards and former FC Dallas star Justin Che geared up for a different type of football: