Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Bayern Munich vs. Red Bull Salzburg; FC Barcelona, Real Madrid ramping up interest in Serge Gnabry?; Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to team up at PSG?; and MORE!

Die Folgen: Bayern’s 7-1 victory over Salzburg (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich steamrolled Red Bull Salzburg 7-1 in a thoroughly dominant performance. The Bavarians were excellent in every phase of the game, took an early lead, and never looked back. Here are some quick hitters on the match:

• The line-up was scrutinized before the match, but it worked — and worked damn well. The difference was that the spacing was just much better offensively and while it was congested at times, it was not choking the life out of Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller.
• The game started out in a frantic manner with both teams nearly scoring in the first minute. I am sure that caused a lot of strife for some fans.
• Red Bull Salzburg was playing a dangerous game defensively and got sloppy with Robert Lewandowski, who was hauled down in the 11th minute. The Poland international deftly converted the penalty and gave the Bavarians a much needed 1-0 lead.
• Of course that was just the start of the “Lewy Show.” Lewandowski added another (relatively questionable) penalty and a bit of a circus goal to give Bayern Munich a 3-0 lead at the 23 minute mark.
• Serge Gnabry added a fourth goal in the first half as Bayern Munich was just thoroughly dominant.
• Jamal Musiala and Joshua Kimmich turned in a very solid shift in the midfield. It can be assumed that Musiala will head back to the bench once Leon Goretzka is healthy, but part of me wonders if Musiala’s stellar play — and overall versatility — will give the Bayern Munich bosses a reason to consider if they need to spent a ton to retain Serge Gnabry. I hit on this in the Observations, but Bayern Munich is not the kind of club that can just pay a multitude of players an exorbitant salary.
• When Julian Nagelsmann subbed on Tanguy Nianzou and Dayot Upamecano, the squad lost some of its defensive stability. Maurits Kjaergaard capitalized with a nice goal for Red Bull Salzburg. Bouna Sarr, Tanguy Nianzou, and Dayot Upamecano were all in the game at the time.
• Nianzou needs game time in the worst way. That kid needs to go on loan. Sitting on the bench is not doing him any good. I would not even be against selling him if he has any value on the market (there likely is not enough), but it seems that Bayern Munich is not at that point yet. Hopefully, the club can work out a loan deal for the young Frenchman.
• Both of Müller’s goals were stunning... as was Leroy Sane’s tally. Sane was completely disruptive on the night.
• Overall, Bayern Munich was dominant. I mean completely dominant. The Bavarians looked like a different squad than the one who played at Salzburg in the first leg. Aside of the Salzburg goal, there was not much for anyone to really gripe about. That was all-out domination from start to finish.
• Finally, “I don’t mind looking like an idiot, as long as Bayern Munich wins” — Ineednoname. (Listen to the podcast to hear him say it for yourself)

If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, and Postgame Podcast, give them a look or a listen:

Barca, Madrid intensifying interest in Gnabry (Tz)

Bayern Munich is still seeking to reach an accord with Serge Gnabry over a new deal, but the longer the two sides go without a deal, the more other clubs begin to think they might be able to pry Gnabry out of Germany. Two of the big names interested are Real Madrid and FC Barcelona:

According to Sky, the Bayern bosses continue to expect an extension. But: Apparently both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are keen on Gnabry. The two top clubs should keep an eye on their situation, as reported by Sky reporter Florian Plettenberg. It is clear that FC Bayern does not want to lose another national player after Niklas Süle. The central defender is currently showing with good performances that his departure could still really hurt the Munich team.

Bayern Munich has time to figure this out with Gnabry, but the clock is ticking if the club wants to ensure it will not lose the Germany international on a free transfer.

Ronaldo, Messi could team up at PSG (Transfer Market Web)

I mean...who actually can see this happening? A team-up between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain? The Manchester United star is — allegedly — considering a move to join Messi at PSG:

FootballTransfers understands Manchester United’s Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, will target a move to Paris St-Germain - which could see him link up with Argentina forward Lionel Messi - if United fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Manchester United have been disappointing since Ronaldo’s return, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being sacked in December to be replaced by veteran coach Ralf Rangnick.

Sources close to the situation understand that a return to Juventus has already been ruled out, while a switch to Sporting, where he began his professional career, is also highly unlikely at this stage. As a result, CR7 is courting a move to Paris which would see him sensationally team up with Lionel Messi and Neymar at the Ligue 1 giants in a dream forward line.

I...hope this happens. The drama would be off the charts.

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

In this episode, Tom and Ineednoname discuss:

• The biggest problem against Bayer Leverkusen — is Bayern Munich’s offense starting to slow down?
• 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.

Wijnaldum expected to be available...will Bayern have interest? (Sky)

At one point Bayern Munich was very interested in Georginio Wijnaldum before the midfielder opted to sign with PSG. Now, Wijnaldum could be moving on and Aston Villa is said to be very interested:

Aston Villa are closely monitoring out-of-favour PSG midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, according to reports in The Sun.

Bayern Munich will be in the market for a midfielder this summer, but it is unclear if Wijnaldum is even on the club’s radar at this point.