Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich, Real Madrid eyeing Moussa Diaby; Leroy Sane touts Man City, Liverpool; PSG eyeing Marcus Rashford; A prediction for Bayern vs. Red Bull Salzburg; and MORE!

Bayern, Madrid eyeing Diaby? (The Hard Tackle)

In a rumor that we have not heard before, Bayern Munich is reportedly among the teams interested in Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby.

In addition to the Rekordmeister, Real Madrid is also — allegedly — in pursuit of Diaby:

Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are reportedly interested in signing Moussa Diaby, valued at around €70 million by Bayer Leverkusen.

According to a report by Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Moussa Diaby is becoming a highly sought-after player in the market ahead of the summer transfer window. Two of his prospective suitors are Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, who might have to pay around €70 million to sign the French international from Bayer Leverkusen.

A prediction: Bayern vs. Salzburg (Bavarian Football Works)

I delayed a little bit on making this pick (which usually appears in the Weekend Warm-up) and I’m not sure seeing Saturday’s match actually helped with anything.

Bayern Munich is not playing well and quite frankly has everything to lose in this one. Meanwhile, Red Bull Salzburg can play a swashbuckling style and go for the victory because they really weren’t supposed to be here anyway.

That makes for a fantastic match-up and one that will hold a lot of intrigue. There is no doubt that Bayern Munich is the deeper, more talented team, but can the Bavarians shake off their mini-funk to stave off Salzburg?

The return of Manuel Neuer certainly will not hurt Bayern Munich’s chances and will hopefully give the squad the boost it needs.

The X-factor, however, could be what formation Julian Nagelsmann rolls out. Will it be a back-four or a back-three? And how will that affect the personnel?

All Bayern Munich fans can do is stay tuned, but even with so many things that look like strikes against the Bavarians, the reigning German Bundesliga champions should pull through for a victory.

Prediction: Bayern Munich 2-0 Red Bull Salzburg

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 1, Episode 39 (Bavarian Football Works)

As Bayern Munich’s squad prepares for a big Bundesliga match against Bayer Leverkusen, the club was extremely active in the papers with a variety of stories involving the squad planning for next season.

Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A look at why Bayern Munich needs to step up its communication game with Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Müller, and others to avoid another Niklas Süle fiasco.
• The latest list of candidates to play right wing-back for Julian Nagelsmann next season.
• A few thoughts on why Bayern Munich might not need to spend money on Arminia Bielefeld’s Stefan Ortega.
• The potential for a starting three-man center-back crew of Lucas Hernandez, Dayot Upamecano, and Benjamin Pavard for next season.

Pavard recognized for effort (WhoScored.com)

Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard was recognized for his stellar effort against Bayer Leverkusen with a spot on Who Scored’s Bundesliga Team of the Week:

Meanwhile, Niklas Süle got the nod from kicker:

Sane says LFC, City are most dangerous clubs in UCL (Sports Illustrated)

Bayern Munich star Leroy Sane thinks that Manchester City and Liverpool are the most dangerous clubs left in the Champions League.

“I would say the way they are playing at the moment: Liverpool FC and Manchester City,” Sane said.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Flagship Show Season 4, Episode 26 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich only played one game this week, but it wasn’t a win so the fanbase is slowly drowning in negativity. The hosts of this podcast are no different as this week we have nothing much in the way of good news to share. Still, there’s a Champions League game coming up in midweek, so we couldn’t just NOT record one of these.

In this episode, Tom and Ineednoname discuss:

• The biggest problem against Bayer Leverkusen — is Bayern Munich’s offense starting to slow down?
• Previewing RB Salzburg, including a very negative prediction from INNN (no surprises there).
• What happens if Bayern Munich do get knocked out by RB Salzburg?
• Moving onto transfers and the board — should Frimpong be considered by Bayern?
• The secret meeting between Oliver Kahn and Mino Raiola this week.
• What if Bayern signs Pogba? (lol)
• The problem with the board trying to do contract extensions, especially Lewandowski.

PSG looking at Rashford? (@FabrizioRomano)

Paris Saint-Germain might have Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford on its wish list should Kylian Mbappe leave. Mbappe, of course, could leave for Real Madrid:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Rant — Bayern Munich 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen (Bavarian Football Works)

Well that wasn’t great. Bayern Munich just drew 1-1 against Bayer Leverkusen in a game that honestly could’ve been a loss if not for some awful finishing. Julian Nagelsmann looks like he’s treading water at the moment as his tactics and substitutions failed to net Bayern three points over a Leverkusen side missing their main striker. Questions will be asked about this one, and the answers won’t be pretty.

Here are our talking points from the game:

• Definitive signs of mentality issues under Julian Nagelsmann.
• Why Omar Richards should be the starting left-back as long as Alphonso Davies remains out.
• Rounding out some of the other positive performances — Ulreich and Pavard.
• Another shutout game for Robert Lewandowski.
• Is Thomas Muller ineffective in this system?
• The big problem Jamal Musiala had today — good decision making held back by poor execution.
• Is Dayot Upamecano becoming a 42 million euro mistake?
• Warning signs for the upcoming game against RB Salzburg in the Champions League.
• Has Julian Nagelsmann been carried by individual brilliance? The poor decision making behind his subs.
• A depressing picture of the long and short-term problems facing Bayern Munich at the moment.