Daily Schmankerl: Is there anything going on between Bayern Munich and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen?; Marco Reus out injured for Germany; FC Barcelona captains angry about Robert Lewandowski pursuit after pay cuts?; Darwin Nunez to Liverpool?; & MORE!

Reus is hurt again (@DFB_Team_EN)

Around these parts, we are used to Bayern Munich players getting hurt, but for Germany, Borussia Dortmund star Marco Reus has found himself at the trainer’s table once again.

After missing the first two matches of this round UEFA Nations League games due to an illness, Reus now has a strain, which will keep him out of action against Hungary:

This is normally the space to make the joke, “a tradition like any other,” but Reus has surely been snake-bitten in his career. The 33-year-old has always been a fantastic talent, but seems to always be battling some type of injury.

Bayern, in or out on Osimhen? (We All Follow United)

There are conflicting reports out there regarding Bayern Munich’s alleged interest in Napoli striker Victor Osimhen:

According to transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio on wettfreunde (h/t The Sun), Bayern Munich could join the race and rival Manchester United for the signature of Napoli star Victor Osimhen on a potential transfer move. He enjoyed yet another solid season for his side, which seems to have attracted attention from several European clubs.

Man United have already expressed their interest in signing Osimhen ahead of the summer transfer window. They are searching the market for attacking additions to back Erik ten Hag moving forward. They are not alone, though, as Premier League sides like Arsenal and Newcastle United are in the mix right now as well.

Last week, however, Sport Bild’s Christian Falk said that Bayern Munich was not interested in Osimhen:

Napoli is rumored to want a high fee for Osimhen, which would take Bayern Munich out of the running anyway.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Germany 1-1 England (Bavarian Football Works)

Germany put forth an excellent effort in drawing with England 1-1 in the UEFA Nations League.

Die Mannschaft played an exciting, intense style in an environment that felt more like a Euro 2024 finale than a regular UEFA Nations League tilt. Here is what we have on tap:

• An appreciation of former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick and the impact he has had on the squad.
• Why it now makes sense that Germany might have been sleepwalking a bit against Italy.
• Jonas Hofmann re-paid Flick for his belief in him.
• Flick is getting the best out of a lot of players, including Ilkay Gundogan.
• Why this was a terrific sign of things to come for Germany, despite the unfortunate — and very unlucky — ending.

Barca captains uneasy about pay cut requests amid Lewy pursuit (Barca Universal)

FC Barcelona could be creating an internal headache for itself as it pursues Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski.

Last summer, some of the club’s star players were asked to take pay cuts and now, just one year later, Barca is considering dumping a nice chunk of money down for Lewandowski — who will also demand a hefty salary.

This is reportedly not sitting well with some players:

A report from ARA provides an update on Barcelona’s wage bill situation and the measures that Joan Laporta wishes to implement to get things under control. The Barcelona president enforced pay cuts on players during the summer of last year in order to be able to register new players. The club captains – Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto were the first ones to accept the reduction in wages. And, heading into the new season, Laporta is once again considering the possibility of more wage cuts as the Catalans continue to be mired in economic issues.

But as per the report, this time out, the club captains, apart from Roberto, who is close to signing a new contract this week, might be reluctant to accept the cuts. It is claimed that the veteran stars are puzzled about the fact that the club keep asking players to forego part of their salaries while having the budget to bring in new players of Robert Lewandowski’s caliber.

With the Lewandowski situation still unsettled, Barca could be looking to Villarreal for another other option (Villarreal USA):

Barcelona are said to have the option of signing one of Villarreal’s prize assets this summer. The Blaugrana are being heavily linked with a move for Robert Lewandowski, who has already made it clear he wants to leave Bayern Munich this summer. The seasoned goal scorer could go for a fee of around €40million, but according to Sport, Barca could land Villarreal star Gerard Moreno for the same fee.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 1, Episode 52

Typically when you hit up the Weekend Warm-up Podcast, you will hear some analysis and positivity — but we threw that out the window this week.

It is not time to panic yet, but it is time to wonder if anyone knows what the hell is going on at Bayern Munich these days.

After a crazy week of news, this is what we have on tap:

• A look at Robert Lewandowski’s verbal cutting of ties to Bayern Munich.
• Examining the potential move for Sadio Mane.
• How Serge Gnabry’s rejection of a €19 million offer shows there is something bad brewing at Bayern Munich.
• Why Julian Nagelsmann’s job is going to be a lot harder in year two.
• A look at the lack of direction and reactionary action from the Bayern Munich front office.

Madrid, United, LFC all interested in Bellingham (Sport1)

Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Liverpool are all reportedly very interested in Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham:

Jude Bellingham is one of the permanent staff at Borussia Dortmund and is the mainstay of BVB midfield. As now reported by Sport Bild, Champions League winner Real Madrid became aware of the midfielder.

According to the report, Los Blancos plan to sign Bellingham in the summer of 2023. Los Blancos are currently in search of adequate replacements for Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić. The two real stars are to be gradually replaced in the coming years, so the reigning Spanish champions are currently looking for alternatives.

Bellingham was also present as a guest of Adidas at the Stade de Prince on the day of the Champions League final and posed with his brother Jobe for a photo with Real Madrid legend Zinédine Zidane. However, Real already have two talented midfielders in their squad in Eduardo Camavinga and Fede Valverde, while AS Monaco’s Aurélien Tchouaméni is expected to join soon. Should Bellingham actually dare to move to the Spanish capital, he will certainly have to assert himself first.

In addition to the Madrilenians, numerous Premier League clubs are said to be interested in the young Englishman, including Manchester United and Liverpool FC.

LFC eyeing Nunez move (Sport1)

Liverpool might be seriously thinking about bringing in Benfica striker Darwin Nunez:

Darwin Nunez came to the fore at Benfica last season with 34 goals.

According to the Times , Liverpool are said to be interested in the Uruguayan. He could potentially replace Sadio Mané, who has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich .

The transfer fee for the 22-year-old is said to be around 80 million euros. When Liverpool played Benfica in the Champions League quarter-finals, coach Jürgen Klopp said of Nunez: “If he stays healthy, he has a great career ahead of him. He is physically strong, quick and calm at the finish.”

Things are definitely getting hot between the two parties:

Darwin Núñez, one step away from Liverpool, counts @hugocerezo in @relevo. Everything points to an 80+20 agreement in variables. The Uruguayan prioritizes the Reds over other greats.

Bavarian Podcast Works Season 4, Episode 34 (Bavarian Football Works)

Welcome back! It’s been a week since our last podcast and a huge chunk of the Bayern Munich squad is back in the spotlight with Germany finally back in action for the UEFA Nations League. Given that the World Cup is only months away at this point, these games versus Italy, England, and Hungary are invaluable for Hansi Flick to assess the state of his squad and their reaction to his tactics. The first test vs the Azzurri ended in a draw, and there’s already plenty of talking points from that one.

In this episode, INNN and Samrin discuss:

• Our first impressions from Germany’s performance against Italy.
• The huge problem Hansi Flick has with Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane.
• Why Kai Havertz and Thomas Muller should be starting regularly together for the national team.
• Did Jonas Hofmann secure his spot in the XI for Germany?
• Why does Hansi Flick keep playing Thilo Kehrer?
• Who we want to see in the starting lineup versus England in midweek.
• How Bayern’s problems under Nagelsmann might soon become Germany’s problems as well.
• Moving onto the Gnabry situation — what exactly is going on here?
• Why was Gnabry offered 19m euros a year? And why did he reject it?
• Potential reasons Gnabry might have for leaving Bayern Munich, and why they don’t make any kind of sense.
• How Bayern needs to deal with this entire mess.

Boa draws interest from Turkey (Sport1)

Former Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng could be on his way to Turkey:

Jérôme Boateng has attracted interest from Trabzonspor. Trabzonspor coach Abdullah Avci is openly in favor of transferring the ex-Bayern star. “The name Jérôme Boateng has come up, now we are dealing with him. If the financial conditions are right, we would like to sign him,” he said in an interview with the Anadolu Ajansi news agency .

The former national player and world champion from 2014 is still under contract with Olympique Lyon until 2023, where things are not going well for Boateng. However, Trabzonspor apparently only plans a loan deal to share salary costs with the French club.

As Turkish champions, Trabzonspor is qualified for the Champions League and can offer Boateng top-class European football. A move to the USA is also always on the cards for the 33-year-old central defender.

Grillitsch to Italy? (Sport1)

Former Hoffenheim midfielder Florian Grillitsch was briefly linked to Bayern Munich due to his connection to Julian Nagelsmann, but it looks like the Austrian is headed to Fiorentina instead:

Florian Grillitsch’s departure from the Bundesliga is taking on concrete contours. According to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Grillitsch is in advanced talks with Fiorentina. According to reports, the Austrian already has a four-year contract that is ready to be signed.

The TSG pro left Hoffenheim at the end of the past season. The midfielder’s contract has expired, which is why the Kraichgauer will not collect a transfer fee. The 26-year-old didn’t want to extend his contract at TSG and instead looked for a new challenge - which is now apparently in Italy.