Daily Schmankerl: Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur join Real Madrid in competition for Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry; A mass exodus from Real Madrid; FC Barcelona might want Benfica’s Darwin Nunez; A Champions League prediction; and MORE!

Spurs eyeing Gnabry (The Boot Room)

Tottenham Hotspur is putting its hat in the ring for Bayern Munich star Serge Gnabry:

Tottenham Hotspur have received a boost amid surprise links with a stunning move for Serge Gnabry, with Goal reporting that the forward is considering leaving Bayern Munich this summer. Speculation surrounding Gnabry’s future is building ahead of the end of the season. His contract with the Bavarian giants expires at the end of the next campaign.

Reports in February claimed that Tottenham were interested in signing the Bayern star. Meanwhile, Chelsea also had their eye on the 26-year-old. Obviously, it is hard to know what the Blues will be able to do this summer. But Spurs are right in the mix to secure a return to the Champions League next season. And they may have their sights set on some ambitious moves in the next window.

The hang-up on Gnabry re-signing with Bayern Munich appears to be his salary, though you could also question if the club is as desperate to retain him now as they would have been last year. That is not a slight on Gnabry’s ability, but the likely change in formation, the emergence of Jamal Musiala, and the development of Paul Wanner and Gabriel Vidovic has increased the body count that will be biding for time at the two attacking midfield positions for next season, should coach Julian Nagelsmann permanently switch to a 3-4-2-1 formation.

Thomas Müller, Leroy Sane, and Kingsley Coman are the top three options for the two positions at this stage — and all command salaries of €15 million or more.

LFC also wants Gnabry (Rousing the Kop)

We can also add Liverpool to the list of clubs that want Gnabry (with Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid):

Liverpool are monitoring Serge Gnabry’s situation at Bayern Munich as they weigh up a move for the forward. That’s according to Goal, who claim that The Reds have ‘identified Gnabry as a potential replacement for Mohamed Salah.’ Jurgen Klopp is reportedly a ‘keen admirer’ of the 26-year-old, who has a contract running until 2023.

If — and it is still a relatively big if at this point — Gnabry decides to move on, Liverpool would be about as good of a spot to maximize Gnabry’s talents as anywhere else. However, it might be tough for Gnabry to consistently find field time should Mo Salah re-up with Liverpool.

Certainly, there would be playing time available, but a permanent sport in the starting XI could be in question. As for Real Madrid, Fabrizio Romano provided the latest info on his podcast:

Bavarian Podcast Works Season 4, Episode 29 (Bavarian Football Works)

What a week, huh? Bayern Munich returned to action with a dominant (if controversial) 4-1 win over SC Freiburg, taking their lead in the Bundesliga to 9 points with only 6 games left to play. With the Champions League quarter finals now upon us, there’s plenty to talk about as we prepare for the business end of the season.

In this episode, Ineednoname and Schnitzel discuss:

• Is the Bundesliga title race done and dusted?
• Complaining about how bad Borussia Dortmund have been this season.
• INNN makes a bold prediction about the title race. Does Schnitzel agree?
• Why RB Leipzig will probably be Bayern’s main challenger for the title next season.
• Skip to around 11 minutes if you’re only here for the Villarreal preview.
• How might Julian Nagelsmann line up against them? Talking about lineup options and the availability of Alphonso Davies, Leon Goretzka, and Robert Lewandowski.
• About the opponents: How did Villarreal beat Juventus to make it to the UCL quarters?
• Schnitzel tries to force INNN to make a prediction about the game.
• Should Leroy Sane play on the right or left against Villarreal?
• Will Niklas Sule return to the starting XI? Who does he push out — Upamecano or Nianzou?
• Closing out with our review of Germany’s World Cup group. Can Germany get out of this one?

Barca scoping Nunez as alternative to Lewy, Haaland (Barca Universal)

FC Barcelona is putting together a contingency plan in for the scenario where it does not get either Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski or Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland. The target? Benfica’s Darwin Nunez:

And, as per a report from Directo Gol, Barcelona are looking at SL Benfica and Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez as a potential alternative if they fail to land either Haaland or Lewandowski in the summer.

Bayern vs. Villarreal...who ya got? (Bavarian Football Works)

I didn’t place this prediction in its normal spot (The Weekend Warm-up) because I am a dope, but here you go:

Bayern Munich will face-off with Villarreal in the Champions League and is likely going to be about as healthy as it can be (all things considered) for this stage of the season. Alphonso Davies could return. Niklas Süle might be back. Robert Lewandowski had a few more days for his ailing ribs to heal. Leon Goretzka has already returned and didn’t look like he missed a beat.

Things are looking up for the Bavarians, but Villarreal — while outmatched — will not be a pushover.

Expect the Spanish club to try and slow the game down by mucking it up, but Bayern Munich’s overall quality will shine through for a hard-earned victory.

Prediction: Villarreal 0-2 Bayern Munich

Bayern’s Scott compared to Havertz (HITC)

Okay, if you are a fan of Celtic, this is for you. Let’s be clear, Christopher Scott is a nice prospect, but he is not in the same echelon as Chelsea FC’s Kai Havertz. We just want to help you level-set:

Sky Deutschland broke the news last week that Celtic, as well as Brentford, are targeting Bayern Munich’s Christopher Scott. The Hoops are ‘serious contenders’ to secure his signature, potentially for a bargain £250,000.

And, according to Falk, the highly-rated Scott has turned down Bayern’s offer of a new deal. He’s valued very highly at the Allianz Arena, training regularly with the first-team and having been handed his Bundesliga debut by Hansi Flick.

A technically-gifted attacking midfielder, Scott has been likened to Chelsea’s £71 million man Kai Havertz.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Freiburg 1-4 Bayern Munich (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich and SC Freiburg played out a first half low in expected goals and low in actual action. Bayern seemed dominant but not really likely to score until Leon Goretzka opened the scoring.

We discuss the following in this podcast:

• Whether Bayern played with a back four or a back three
• The return of Leon Goretzka and his influence in midfield
• Nils Petersen’s moment
• The excellence of Thomas Müller
• Why Bayern might have gotten lucky today
• Why there seemed to be a lack of sharpness at times
• Making sense of the bizarre events toward the end
• The exclusion of Kevin Schade and Woo-yeong Jeong
• A thought or two on the upcoming Villarreal clash.

Goal prints horrifying images (@goal)

Robert Lewandowski looks like he is in duress in these (awful) images:

Mass exodus from Madrid (Sport1)

Real Madrid could lose a bunch of players this summer including Gareth Bale, Luka Jovic, Dani Ceballos, Jesus Vallejo, Alvaro Odriozola, and Mariano Diaz:

Gareth Bale’s exit next summer is already a done deal. After nine years, the Welshman and Real Madrid have parted ways, ending a liaison that has long been viewed as a mistake.

But not only Bale should leave the squad, according to the Spanish newspaper Marca there are other well-known players on the list of possible departures - including former Frankfurt star Luka Jovic, who moved to Madrid for around 50 million euros. The Serbian has recently been linked with Arsenal FC.

Dani Ceballos, who spent the last two seasons with the Gunners and returned to the Bernabeu earlier this season, is also reported to be leaving the team.

For defender Jesus Vallejo and striker Mariano Diaz there should also be no place in the Royal squad. Vallejo is likely to find a new club in La Liga, while Mariano is said to be interested in re-signing Olympique Lyon - he was there in 2017/18.

Alvaro Odriozola is the last name on the list. The right-back, who was on loan at Bayern Munich in 2020, is currently on loan at Fiorentina. He has made 19 appearances in Serie A this season.

Would you have any interest in those players if you were Bayern Munich? I think you already know where I stand.