Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich, Real Madrid competing for Aurelien Tchouameni; Chelsea’s Timo Werner to Borussia Dortmund?; Juventus eyeing Serge Gnabry; Lothar Matthäus blasts BVB; and MORE!

Bayern, Madrid chasing Tchouameni (The Hard Tackle)

According to a report out of Spain, both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are interested in AS Monaco defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni:

Real Madrid will reportedly fend off competition from Bayern Munich to sign Aurelien Tchouameni, valued at around €80 million by AS Monaco.

According to a report by Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Aurelien Tchouameni could be the subject of a transfer battle between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the summer transfer window. The French international is valued at around €80 million by AS Monaco.

Bayern Munich could rival Real Madrid in pursuit of several up and coming players in the summer, with Ryan Gravenberch another key midfield target for both clubs. Tchouameni could replace compatriot Corentin Tolisso at the Allianz Arena, with the French international entering the final six months of his Bayern contract.

Apart from Tchouameni and Gravenberch, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are also likely to compete for Florian Wirtz, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham. As for the pursuit of Tchouameni, the 22-year-old will cost around €80 million, making a potential deal difficult for both clubs.

As a reference point, we are seeing numbers anywhere from €60 million (below) to €80 million (above) when looking at Tchouameni:

Werner to BVB? (BuLiNews.com)

Chelsea FC forward and Germany international has gotten caught up in the glut of forwards in London and could be thinking about a return home. Borussia Dortmund might be willing to make that happen should Erling Haaland move on as expected:

Borussia Dortmund are looking at Chelsea and Germany forward Timo Werner as a possible replacement for Erling Haaland, according to Sky Germany.

Per the report, Dortmund are yet to enter concrete negotiations with Chelsea, but the Bundesliga club were recently in an exchange with Werner’s agent, Volker Struth, to arrange the signing of Niklas Süle, who is one of his other clients.

Chelsea aren’t looking to force through a transfer by any means, but would be willing to talk. However, it’s doubtful that Dortmund would be able and willing to pay the money required to bring Werner to Signal Iduna Park, should he be interested in a move back to the Bundesliga. Two years ago, Chelsea put €53 million on the table to sign Werner from RB Leipzig on a contract until 2025 worth €16 million per season in wages.

Given Julian Nagelsmann’s connection to Werner, it would not be totally shocking to see Bayern Munich linked to the former RB Leipzig star again, especially given the manager’s desire to move to a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-2-1 formation for next season.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Preview Show — Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich will host Bayer Leverkusen in what should be a very intriguing Bundesliga match-up.

The Rekordmeister sits in first place, while Die Werkself is 14 points behind the pace-setters in third place. Certainly, a win for Leverkusen would be a huge boost the squad.

Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A look at where each team sits in the table and the recent form of the two clubs.
• Why Bayern Munich fans want to keep an eye on both Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong.
• How Bayern Munich might line-up — which could change a million times because of all of the uncertain statuses for Julian Nagelsmann’s squad.
• A prediction on the match.

Juventus plotting move for Gnabry (Juve FC)

We can add Juventus to the list of club, who might be ready to make an offer for Bayern Munich star Serge Gnabry if he becomes available:

Serge Gnabry has been one of the finest attackers in Europe in the last few seasons and the German has attracted the attention of Juventus. He has won every club trophy at Bayern Munich and has a deal that runs out in 2023. The Germans want to keep him, but it has been difficult to get him on a new contract.

The attacker will keep his options open until they meet his demand, but Bayern knows it would be embarrassing to lose him for free at the end of next season. Because of that, they are now looking to cash in on him, according to Calciomercato. The report claims Juve will move for him if they get the chance, but they would compete with some of the top European clubs for his signature.

ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works S4E25 (Bavarian Football Works)

It’s going to be another long few days without any midweek fixtures, but it sure is good to see Bayern Munich back to winning in dominant fashion. If you had asked me if I thought Bayern were capable of coming out of an Eintracht Frankfurt away game with a victory and a clean sheet, I would’ve scoffed at the notion two weeks ago. But now that it has happened, this team sure looks like they can grind out the wins again.

However, looking at the not-so-distant future, there are quite a few things the club needs to sort out: impending contract extensions, signing defensive reinforcements, analyzing the future of the Bayern midfield, and managing campus talents. This podcast would be covering these topics:

• Take-home points from the Eintracht game
• Defensive situation and potential targets for the summer
• Contract extensions and the “Big 3”
• The curious case of chef Gnabry (who has been starving us for a while)
• Marcel Sabitzer’s performances and areas where he must improve
• Musiala and Wanner and their future at the club
• The injury situation and players on the verge of a return

Kessie to Barca? (Sport1)

AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie is drawing interested from FC Barcelona and Manchester United among others:

Franck Kessié is one of the most valuable professionals whose contract expires next summer. The 25-year-old does not want to extend his working papers at AC Milan and insists on a free transfer. Numerous top European clubs are interested in the midfielder.

Now Sport reports that the Ivorian has decided to join a new club. FC Barcelona should agree with Kessié. In addition to the Catalans, Manchester United are also said to be seriously interested in signing, but the 25-year-old is keen to move to Barcelona. Kessié’s market value is currently 48 million euros.

Kessie was loosely linked to Bayern Munich just a few weeks ago.

Mukiele to United? (Sport1)

Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick might be ready to raid his old club by snatching Nordi Mulkiele in the summer:

With 34 goals conceded, Manchester United has by far the worst defense of the top 4 teams in the Premier League.

The solution to this problem is now supposed to be Nordi Mukiele. According to the Sun , the RB Leipzig defender is said to have been chosen as the priority transfer target at Manchester United. First Fichajes had reported on the interest. Man United News has also reported on it.

The 24-year-old, who made 21 appearances in Leipzig this season and scored and assisted, already has a history in common with Ralf Rangnick. Still in the service of Leipzig, he steered the Frenchman from Montpellier to the Bundesliga for almost 16 million euros in 2018.

Mukiele would be in direct competition with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot in Manchester. Dalot is currently ahead in the duel with Wan-Bissaka. The club are expected to exercise the option of a contract extension in order not to lose Dalot on a free transfer in the summer.

Matthäus blasts BVB, insults Rangers in the process (Daily Record)

Lothar Matthäus wasted no time in dropping the hammer on Borussia Dortmund after BVB was eliminated from the Europa League by Rangers FC:

Rangers have been branded a “third-rate team” by Lothar Matthaus after the German legend was left furious with Borussia Dortmund. The Ibrox side stunned the Europa League when they sent one of the tournament favourites packing over two legs to reach the last 16. Dortmund were expected to win the tie but Rangers did the damage with a 4-2 win in Germany - and a 2-2 draw at Ibrox meant it was curtains for Marco Rose and his side. It came amid a crisis for the Bundesliga side and they followed it up with a 1-1 draw with Augsburg that left them eight points behind Bayern Munich.

And that was the final straw for Matthaus, who holds the record for playing in more World Cup matches than anyone else after starring in five tournaments. He said: “I really like Borussia Dortmund. It’s a great club with everything you could wish for as a football player and fan. They have capable people running the club, some of the best fans in the world and an incredible stadium. But Dortmund has achieved a very special treble this season of embarrassing cup disasters in the Champions League, DFB Cup and now the Europa League. The latest was losing to a third rate team, Glasgow Rangers, in the Europa League. Unbelievable. In Scotland by the way, Rangers are only second behind Celtic. And they managed to lose in Europe to the Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt. (BVB) have disgraced themselves in all three competitions. I am aware it is difficult to challenge Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, but to let far worst teams defeat you in the cup competitions can’t be allowed.”