Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund eyeing Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio; FC Barcelona already negotiating with Erling Haaland and Noussair Mazraoui; Sergio Busquets to MLS?; and MORE!

Bayern, Dortmund eyeing Asensio? (The Hard Tackle)

In what can only be described as bizarre, a report is stating that both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are interested in Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio:

Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich are reportedly keen on signing Marco Asensio from Real Madrid in the summer.

According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are among the clubs showing interest in Marco Asensio ahead of the summer transfer window. The Bundesliga giants are closely monitoring his situation at Real Madrid, with Juventus also keen on signing him.

Given Julian Nagelsmann’s desire to change the formation, Asensio would seemingly slot into one of those attacking midfield roles, but does Bayern Munich need anyone there? Uh, not really.

Barring a crazy sell-off of a few players and Serge Gnabry being sold this summer, I’d say this is unlikely.

Barca opening talks with Haaland, Mazraoui (Sky)

FC Barcelona is reportedly engaged in talks with Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland and Ajax’s Noussair Mazraoui — both clients of Mino Raiola:

Barcelona have held talks with Mino Raiola over clients Erling Haaland and Noussair Mazraoui, according to Dutch publication De Telegraaf. Senior Barcelona officials reportedly met with Raiola to discuss summer deals for two of his star clients.

In even more (pick one: interesting, infuriating, stupid) news, La Liga’s is reportedly ready to help fund Haaland’s move, which is somehow (pick one: appropriate, legal, fair)? Check this out:

According to media reports, the Spanish football league wants to help FC Barcelona in signing Borussia Dortmund’s star striker Erling Haaland.

The aim is to increase the attractiveness of the Primera División, it said. That’s why FC Barcelona’s debts of 1.35 billion euros “won’t be a problem,” wrote the Catalan newspaper Sport on Sunday . The commitment of the 21-year-old is “absolute priority” for the club around national goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen for the coming season and is now “no longer a dream.”

ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 1, Episode 38 (Bavarian Football Works)

Another work week is almost in the books and, as always, Bayern Munich provided a lot of material for us to ponder.

A whole lot.

Somehow, Thomas Müller testing positive for COVID-19 again became one of the more normal stories of the week.

Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• Examining the report on Julian Nagelsmann’s desire to make a back-three based formation permanent.
• Jamal Musiala’s transition to the central midfield.
• The wild rumors surrounding Erling Haaland, Corentin Tolisso, and Serge Gnabry.
• Bayern Munich’s begrudging evolution to becoming a selling club.
• Marcel Sabitzer’s future is on shaky ground with Bayern Munich.
• A guest appearance from Javi Martinez for a new segment called “Dong Watch”...okay, I’m kidding (no, we will not be discussing Javi’s bulge breakdown).
• A quick take on “The Book of Boba Fett.”

Busquets to...MLS? (@FabrizioRomano)

Several MLS clubs, including Inter Miami are looking to bring in FC Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets:

Upamecano, Süle and Kimmich (kicker via @iMiaSanMia)

Dayot Upamecano, Niklas Süle and Joshua Kimmich were selected to kicker’s Bundesliga Team of the Week:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Eintracht Frankfurt 0-1 Bayern Munich (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich have finally played a good game! Shockingly, the performance came against Eintracht Frankfurt away, a fixture which has given the Bavarians some significant issues in the past. With multiple players including Thomas Muller still out, this could’ve been a chance for the Eagles to smash and grab three points from the Rekordmeister. Bayern didn’t let that happen though, and even managed to get a clean sheet for their efforts.

Here are our talking points from the game:

• What was the formation Nagelsmann used today? Was it a 4-2-3-1 or something else?
• The paradoxical nature of the defense today — setup vs performance.
• A full midfield review, including Joshua Kimmich’s great game and a potential future between him and Musiala in a pivot.
• So it turns out you don’t need 20 attackers to create chances. Who knew?
• Robert Lewandowski’s role compared to usual + Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sane as attackers.
• How Julian Nagelsmann can build on this performance in the coming games.
• Why an unglamorous win was a step in the right direction for Bayern Munich.