Daily Schmankerl: Is Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski headed to FC Barcelona or is Barca eyeing Joao Felix?; Mesut Özil and Axel Witsel to MLS?; Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku to PSG?; and MORE!

Report: Two stories out of Poland say Lewy has reached deal with Barca (TVP Sport)

By now, you’ve seen the headlines blasted, “Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski agrees to terms with FC Barcelona” and you — rightfully — took everything with a grain of salt.

So, let’s break down how this all went down on Monday. First, there was a report out of Poland breaking the story:

As TVPSPORT.PL learned, Robert Lewandowski is to sign a contract with Barcelona . According to our source, the captain of the Polish national team informed the Bayern Munich authorities about his decision.

In recent weeks, a lot has been said about the future of Robert Lewandowski. The striker’s contract expires on June 30, 2023. Bayern’s authorities are reluctant to start talks on a new contract. The Polish representative is disappointed with this attitude. So far “Lewy” has played 369 matches for the 31-time German champion. He scored ... 340 goals in them . He is one of the best footballers in the history of the German tycoon.

As we have established, Lewandowski will not sign a new contract with Bayern. We learned from the close circle of the player that the striker had already communicated with Barcelona. The best striker in the world is to come after a teleconference with the Blaugrana authorities. The information provided to us shows that all the terms of the contract have been agreed.

The Pole informed Oliver Kahn about his decision. Bayern authorities already know that “Lewy” will start a relationship with a new employer. It is supposed to be FC Barcelona.

Then, another Polish journalist ran with it further:

Later, though, a few German reporters got wind of the story and refuted it or at least parts of it:

Sport Bild’s Christian Falk

Sport1’s Kerry Hau

A #Lewandowski farewell in the summer is possible, Zahavi is in talks with other clubs (including #Barça ). But: The player has not yet informed #FCBayern that he wants to change. Decision only after the contract talks. @SPORT1

Sky’s Florian Plettenberg

So...there you have it, you are now up to date on all of the daily Lewy drama.

Barca could eye Felix over Lewy (Barca Universal)

While FC Barcelona has been linked to Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski (see above), Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland, and Liverpool’s Mo Salah, the cost for each player could be prohibitive. Now, the Catalans could be turning their attention to Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix:

Barcelona’s pursuit of a new striker has been well documented. The Catalans are eyeing a new number nine who can further strengthen the attacking setup, with the likes of Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah and Robert Lewandowski emerging as top targets.

Barça haven’t had much success pursuing any of them, though, with Haaland and Salah likely to cost a fortune, while the club do not want to get into trouble with Bayern Munich by forcing a move for Lewandowski.

In light of such uncertainty, the Barcelona board has targeted an ideal alternative, in the form of Joao Felix, reports SPORT.

The Blaugrana have been monitoring the progress of the Atletico Madrid forward for quite some time now. His exceptional quality in possession, coupled with his footwork and technical brilliance are tailor-made for Xavi’s tactical philosophy.

Atletico Madrid currently have no intention to sell Felix in the summer. But the player’s agent Jorge Mendes is expected to push for his exit if Barcelona can snatch a top-four finish in La Liga and secure Champions League football next season.

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

It’s time for some action!

Bayern Munich vs. Villarreal is upon us and the Bavarians need to pull out a victory here to move on. What we learned from the first leg of this tie, however, is that Villarreal will not go down easy and that it has the potential to make like hell for Bayern Munich.

Can Julian Nagelsmann adapt with his tactics? Can the players on the pitch find a different way to attack that is more creative and precise than the previous effort? Will Unai Emery devise another game plan capable of frustrating the Bavarians into another loss?

These are all questions that we touched on, but here is what we have fully on tap for the episode:

• A quick look the battle of the brains between Emery and Nagelsmann and why this might be a pivotal moment in Nagelsmann’s career.
• Some thoughts on what frustrated Bayern Munich last time around, what could create danger for the Bavarians in this match, and why Villarreal needs to be taken seriously.
• A guess at how Nagelsmann will send out his starting XI. The big questions revolved around Jamal Musiala vs. Leon Goretzka and Leroy Sane vs. Serge Gnabry.
• A prediction on the match.

No Bayern players in Team of the Week (@WhoScored)

No Bayern Munich players were selected for WhoScored.com’s Bundesliga Team of the Week:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 1, Episode 44 (Bavarian Football Works)

The week was sort of normal until Wednesday initiated a run of craziness.

Bayern Munich’s loss to Villarreal in the Champions League, followed the transfer craziness involving Robert Lewandowski and the Ajax duo of Noussair Mazraoui and Ryan Gravenberch really threw the latter part of the week for a loop.

We hit on all of that and more, so check out what we have on tap:

• Where Bayern Munich went wrong against Villarreal and how things could get better on Tuesday.
• The potential acquisitions of Mazraoui and Gravenberch and why I don’t get one of the moves.
• Serge Gnabry’s negotiations and who has interest in the Germany international.
• The phenom who just won’t commit to Julian Nagelsmann.
• A couple of other items just for good measure.

Özil to Hull City? Miami? (Sport1)

Mesut Özil’s stay with Fenerbahce could be ending and the former German national team star is drawing interest from both Hull City and Inter Miami:

Mesut Özil’s days at his current club Fenerbahce seem to be numbered. The former national player and world champion was suspended at his club and is currently only sitting in the stands. Both parties are currently negotiating the termination of the contract. Should the contract be terminated, there should already be some interested parties for Özil.

The Spanish sports newspaper as writes about the interest of the English second division club Hull City with reference to the Turkish press. The owner of the club is Turkish and is said to be a big fan of Özil. David Beckham’s Inter Mami club is also interested. According to the as report, Özil himself is said to dream of playing in the USA one day.

Bayern’s best training clips for March (FCBayern.com)

If you want to check out Bayern Munich’s best training clips from March, here you go:

Ten Hag not a candidate for Leipzig (@berger_pj)

The recent rumors linking Ajax manager Erik ten Hag to RB Leipzig do not appear to have any substance right now:

Witsel to MLS? (Sport1)

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Axel Witsel could be on his way to MLS as well:

The Belgian national player Axel Witsel from Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund is apparently drawn to the North American Major League Soccer (MLS) in the summer. This is reported by Sky.

The 33-year-old all-rounder will obviously not extend his contract with BVB, which expires at the end of the season. The professional was informed of this decision by Borussia weeks ago, the pay TV broadcaster reported.

Los Angeles Galaxy and Los Angeles FC are said to be interested in the veteran, who was signed in 2018 for a fee of 20 million euros from Tianjin Tianhai (then: Tianjin Quanjian) from China.

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

Bayern Munich limped to a 1-0 win in a closely fought derby against Augsburg. Bayern earned a late penalty courtesy of a handball by Reece Oxford. The referee almost immediately pointed to the spot and Robert Lewandowski converted with a powerful penalty. In this podcast, we take a look at the following:

• That first half
• Joshua Kimmich’s performance
• Julian Nagelsmann’s substitutions
• More praise for Jamal Musiala
• No goals from open play in 180 minutes
• The ongoing issues impacting the backline
• The wingers, particularly Serge Gnabry
• Reece Oxford things
• Giving Augsburg credit where it’s due
• Augsburg’s notable performances
• The problems pervading Bayern currently
• Quick thoughts back to Freiburg and ahead to Villarreal

Lukaku to PSG (Sport1)

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku has not had a banner season in London and could be on the move again. Lukaku’s next destination could be Paris Saint-Germain should Kylian Mbappe leave the club:

Romelu Lukaku is dissatisfied with his current employer Chelsea FC. There are many rumors surrounding the Belgium striker, who joined the Blues for around €115m just last summer. According to The Sun, after Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain are now also interested in Lukaku. And that’s not all: initial talks are said to have already taken place.

What is highly likely is that this transfer is only realistic if Kylian Mbappé leaves PSG on a free transfer in the summer. Only then does PSG have room in the front row for a new striker and money to pay the fee and salary.