Daily Schmankerl: Arsenal to pitch swap for Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry?; Real Madrid shows no interest in Gnabry yet; Erling Haaland talks difficult times; Liverpool to convince Sadio Mane to stay?; and MORE!

Gunners to propose Gnabry swap deal? (Daily Express)

Arsenal FC might get creative in its attempt to bring back Bayern Munich star Serge Gnabry. Specifically, the Gunners have four players in mind, who they think could convince the Bavarians to make a deal:

Arsenal may have four players in their ranks that could tempt Bayern Munich into a swap deal for Serge Gnabry this summer. The Bavarian giants have reportedly quoted the Gunners £40million to reunite with the winger, who spent five years at the Emirates as a youngster, but Mikel Arteta could yet introduce several players into the equation to save some cash.

So...who were the four names? Take a look:

• Nicolas Pepe — Winger
• Ainsley Maitland-Niles — Central midfielder
• Thomas Partey — Central midfielder
• Folarin Balogun — Striker

You can file me in the, “No thanks” camp.

Report: Madrid has no interest in Gnabry (Sports Mole)

Depending on what reports you believe, Real Madrid either has a lot of interest in Serge Gnabry...or none. Per this particular report, Los Blancos are not exactly jumping at the opportunity to get the Germany international:

Real Madrid are reportedly not interested in bringing Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry to the Santiago Bernabeu. Previous reports linked the German international with a potential return to Arsenal after five years with the Bavarians. Although, there was reported interest from newly-crowned European champions Real Madrid, who have missed out on the signings of Erling Braut Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.

However, Football London, are reporting that the Spanish giants are not interested in signing the 26-year-old as they have ‘no plans’ to sign a winger after failing to capture Mbappe. With Real Madrid not keen on signing Gnabry, it could open the door for Arsenal to make a move for the Bayern player, who is valued at €40m (£34m). The Gunners could also wait for the attacker to become a free agent, with his current Bayern deal set to expire in the summer of 2023.

Fabrizio Romano write a column for Caught Offside and had the following to say about the Gnabry-to-Real Madrid links as well,

“Serge Gnabry’s situation is certainly complicated,” Romano explains. “Since October, Bayern have been in negotiations for the extension of their contract and have made a new proposal of around €10m net per season in recent days. Gnabry has not yet accepted, and Bayern have no plans to go beyond this figure. To date, there is no offer from Arsenal but certainly Gnabry could be a top name on the market – Real Madrid have discussed it internally with Carlo Ancelotti.”

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 1, Episode 51 (Bavarian Football Works)

Another week is in the books and Bayern Munich news was flowing per the usual.

With Robert Lewandowski’s transfer saga drawing numerous headlines, a new signing to man the right defensive flank, and a whole lot more going on, we had plenty to chat about. This is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A look at the latest on Lewandowski, Bayern Munich’s no-win situation, and why it is no shock that Real Madrid and Chelsea are both trying to get involved.
• Real Madrid’s pursuit of Serge Gnabry and why the Germany international probably is leaning toward leaving.
• Sadio Mane and Sala Kalajdzic...are you in or out?
• The signing of Noussair Mazraoui, the latest on Ryan Gravenberch, and why the midfielder might not be the best use of money.
• Bayer Leverkusen’s aggressive week and why the Bundesliga might view Bayern Munich as susceptible.

Madrid-Bayern to battle on goalkeeper? (@FabrizioRomano)

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid has lobbed in the first proposal for Chicago Fire Gabriel Slonina:

Bayern Munich and Chelsea FC have been linked to Slonina as well.

BVB could allow key players to leave (Get German Football News)

Borussia Dortmund could see Emre Can, Thorgan Hazard and Raphaël Guerreiro all leave this summer, which would be a huge hit to the squad’s depth:

According to Bild, Emre Can, Thorgan Hazard and Raphaël Guerreiro can leave Borussia Dortmund should they receive a suitable offer in the summer transfer window.

Can (28) has a contract until 2024 and would be allowed to leave for a reported fee between €15m and €20m and Hazard (29) can leave for a similar amount whilst Guerreiro, who is entering the final year of his contract, is available for €25m.

Barcelona have shown interest in signing Guerreiro whilst David Raum (Hoffenheim) and Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Mönchengladbach) are candidates for BVB should the Portugal international leave. All in all, BVB could make around €65m from selling these three players and would significantly help rebuild the club under new head coach Edin Terzić.

Haaland says last few months were difficult (Sport1)

Erling Haaland had a crazy second half of the season.

Injuries, the death of his agent, Mino Raiola, and the burden of having to sort out his future have absolutely weighed on the Norwegian.

“These were tough months, it wasn’t easy,” said Haaland. “It was very difficult, I don’t want to talk about (Raiola’s death).”

Haaland, though is not expecting anyone to feel sorry for him.

“I can’t complain, I like my life,” said Haaland. “I don’t want to praise myself, but I’m good at concentrating on the essentials and performing.”

Haaland will be moving to Manchester City in the coming days.

Bavarian Podcast Works Season 4, Episode 33 (Bavarian Football Works)

It’s been two weeks since our last main episode, and plenty of news has come out since then. While there are no games to talk about, Bayern Munich are at the center of a transfer storm involving clubs across Europe. While Robert Lewandowski continues to push for a move to Barcelona, Brazzo and Nagelsmann eye Liverpool’s Sadio Mane as a major transfer coup for the summer. Meanwhile, the fanbase begins to speculate about what the squad will look like in two months.

In this episode, INNN and Teddy discuss:

• The Sadio Mane transfer in-depth — how much would he cost, where would he play if he comes, and how would Bayern use him?
• The implications of signing Mane on the rest of the squad, especially Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry.
• Potential pitfalls of a Mane to Bayern transfer.
• Should Bayern Munich switch to a striker-less system next season?
• Can Julian Nagelsmann really pull off a system without a striker? Does he even want to?
• The problem with switching to a system without a striker.
• A striker-less system or a Lewandowski-replacement — which is better?
• Moving onto the final topic, what exactly is Bayern’s plan for transfers this summer?
• So many questions to answer — does Bayern want a center back? Who are the main targets for the summer? What will the squad look like next season? What is the team’s biggest weakness? Are the needs being met?
• Should Julian Nagelsmann be more or less involved in transfer planning?
• What will Bayern look like at the start of next season?

Should LFC give Mane what he wants? (talkSPORT)

A couple of pundits took some time to debate whether or not Liverpool should just give Sadio Mane what he wants and prevent the attacker from moving to Bayern Munich:

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has been warned about a transfer to Bayern Munich and his current club told to pay up to keep him at Anfield. Just hours after the Reds lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League final, it was reported the Senegal star was looking to leave Merseyside.

And former Reds star Dean Saunders reckons the club must do all they can to keep him, even if it means increasing his wages significantly to dissuade Bayern Munich.

“You can’t let it happen,” he told the talkSPORT Breakfast. “You have just got to give him what he wants.”

But queried by former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara if it was only about money, he added: “Mane, I think, sends all his money back home. He does a lot. He’s built a village, houses for family and the village he came from. He does some unbelievable things. I don’t think it is about money. But if you are, arguably, the best player in the world – he’s up there, then he wants to be paid what Lewandowski is getting, what Ronaldo is getting, what Kane is getting. He will want the going rate.”

“I know what you’re saying,” replied O’Hara. “But with Liverpool, why would you let him go. He’s got a year left on his deal. What are they going to get for him? People are going to try and be chancers and say, ‘Right, we’ll give you £30million for him’, because he’s in the last year of his deal. If I was Liverpool, I would just say no. I’d rather let him go on a free. [What’s it going to cost to replace him?] £100m? Well, he’s irreplaceable, let’s be honest. If you take him out of the team, even if you sign someone for £100m, it’s impossible to replace someone like Mane.”

Whatever the case, I have some doubt that Mane — and an attack by committee — can replace Robert Lewandowski.

Kostic available for...€15 million? (@Plettigoal)

According to Sky’s Florian Plettenberg, Eintracht Frankfurt star Filip Kostic is available for €15 million:

Update #Eintracht: Kostic is allowed to leave if a club bids 15m+ (as reported). Currently no offer on the table. Ache should be awarded. Durm is to be sold. Everything is prepared for Polter, but Schindzielorz was unable to sign in the end. @SkySportDE

That is a steal...an absolute steal.