Daily Schmankerl: Chelsea eyeing Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano?; Cristiano Ronaldo’s future linked with Lewy?; Christian Pulisic urged to join Bayern; FC Barcelona feeling confident; Manchester United eyeing Victor Osimhen; and MORE!

Chelsea eyeing Upamecano (90Min.com)

In a report that seems absurd, Chelsea FC might have some interest in Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano.

With the Bavarians focusing on a pursuit of Matthijs de Ligt, some are pondering the future of Upamecano, who did not have a great inaugural season with Bayern Munich:

Chelsea have been informed of the potential availability of Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano if Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt joins the Bundesliga champions, 90min understands. The Blues have an extensive list of defensive targets and sources have confirmed to 90min that they ideally would like to sign three new central defenders this summer.

Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen have departed on free transfers, to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, while Kurt Zouma is yet to be replaced after he moved to West Ham last August. That’s left Chelsea with an ageing Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, Malang Sarr and Cesar Azpilicueta, who is more of a full-back, as Thomas Tuchel’s only senior options - a small pool considering the German has utilised three central defenders for much of his time in charge at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are continuing to pursue long-term target Jules Kounde, although Barcelona are also keen on signing the Sevilla star, while they are confident of agreeing a deal with Manchester City for former player Nathan Ake. Napolli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, Paris Saint Germain’s Presnel Kimpembe and Torino’s Gleison Bremer have also been spoken to, but their top target has emerged as Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt.

It seems way too early for Bayern Munich to be putting Upamecano up for sale and I’d think it is quite unlikely anything happens with the former RB Leipzig defender this summer. Sport Bild reporter Christian Falk does not think an Upamecano move is in the cards at this point either:

Barca getting confident in Lewy pursuit? (Barca Universal)

FC Barcelona seems like it is growing more cocksure that it can get a deal for Robert Lewandowski done:

Barcelona and Lewandowski also have an agreement over personal terms over a three-year deal as well. However, Bayern Munich are playing hardball in negotiations with the Blaugrana as they continue to insist that the Poland captain is not for sale.

The Bavarian outfit have already knocked back three offers for the 33-year-old, while publicly insisting that he is expected to stay put at the club. The club officials have also stated that they expect him to join the pre-season camp on July 12. Despite their public stance of him being not for sale, it is being reported that Bayern Munich would be open to selling the midfielder should an offer of around €50 million (fixed) come along.

And their business in the transfer window further indicates that they might be preparing to offload a big player this summer, i.e., Lewandowski. Bayern have lost Niklas Sule and Corentin Tolisso, which will have created room on their wage bill. However, they have made a high-profile signing in the form of Sadio Mane from Liverpool, who will be earning a mammoth salary.

On top of that, Bayern Munich are also pushing to sign Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus, another high-profile addition to their roster. Given the way they operate in the market, it is likely that the Bavarian giants could be preparing for a big departure for them to be splashing the cash in this manner. So, their transfer activity might suggest that despite their public insistence, Lewandowski could indeed be sold, although Barcelona might have to meet their €50 million valuation for the striker.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast — Season 2, Episode 1 (Bavarian Football Works)

What seemed like a crazy notion last weekend, looks like it could be very close to happening — Bayern Munich and Juventus center-back Matthijs de Ligt could finally be getting together.

What does this mean for the club? Where does he fit? Who will be affected if De Ligt walks through the gates on Säbener Straße? We’ll talk through all of that and MORE! Here is what we have on tap:

• A quick aside about the award nomination for BFW’s podcast network.
• A deep dive into the possible move for De Ligt.
• Why waiting for Konrad Laimer might not be a bad thing, but would limit Julian Nagelsmann’s ability to tinker.
• What will Bayern Munich do with some of its prized youngsters this season?
• What if Robert Lewandowski stays with the club for this season?

Help support BFW’s quest to be the best, by checking out this link and giving us a vote (or INNN will hunt you down): World Soccer Talk Awards — Best Club Podcast

Futures of Lewy-Ronaldo tied? (The Mirror)

Does Manchester United actually think it has a chance to land Robert Lewandowski? Apparently, they do:

Manchester United will only allow Cristiano Ronaldo to leave this summer if they can sign Robert Lewandowski as a replacement, according to Rio Ferdinand.

Tyrell Malacia remains United’s only signing of the summer transfer window so far and the lack of available big-name strikers on the market makes Ronaldo’s departure unlikely, according to Ferdinand. He believes that Lewandowski, who wants to leave Bayern Munich for Barcelona, is the only player capable of filling Ronaldo’s shoes.

“I don’t see it happening man,” he said on his FIVE podcast. “I can’t even think about that because you have to look at the whole situation. It’s getting on in the window and, if United were to let him go, [Erling] Haaland and [Darwin] Nunez, probably the first two on your list, have gone to clubs. The only other person who could fill into those shoes, who I’d have confidence in, who’s possibly capable of doing it, is [Robert] Lewandowski. But he looks like he has his heart set on Barcelona if they can get that deal done.”

There is zero chance that Lewandowski joins the Red Devils this summer.

Bayern, United linked again to Osimhen (Football Italia)

Speaking of Manchester United...Erik ten Hag’s club and Bayern Munich were again linked to Napoli striker Victor Osimhen:

Manchester United and Bayern Munich could yet make late moves for Napoli forward Victor Osimhen, according to reports in Italy. With doubts over the futures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski respectively, both clubs could be in the market for a new centre forward.

And La Gazzetta dello Sport report that could mean an attempt to sign the Nigeria international. The report adds that Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti is hopeful he can count on Osimhen for next season but Chelsea forward Armando Broja would be a potential replacement.

However, that would likely mean implementing a whole new game plan. Ronaldo has not arrive back for pre-season at United and is reportedly seeking an exit which would leave the Old Trafford side in need of a new centre forward. Meanwhile, Lewandowski has made it clear he is determined to leave Bayern and, should that happen, the German champions would need an elite striker to replace him.

ICYMI: Vote for Bavarian Podcast Works! (Bavarian Football Works)

It’s our pleasure to announce that Bavarian Podcast Works has been nominated for the “Best Club Podcast” by World Soccer Talk.

That’s right your (hopefully) favorite Bayern Munich podcast network is up for an award. While we are humbled and honored that we have not chased everyone away, we could use your help in securing the trophy. That’s right...you can vote! Help support BFW’s quest to be the best, by checking out this link and giving us a vote (or INNN will hunt you down): World Soccer Talk Awards — Best Club Podcast

Bear in mind, we didn’t nominate ourselves or anything like that for this award...somebody likes us!

We’ve put a lot of hard work into helping the podcast network grow and evolve over the years. We’d love to bring home the gold here and frankly we have not been this fired up over a competition since the Bunducksliga was at its peak. Voting closes at midnight EST on July 31, 2022. (Direct link: https://worldsoccertalk.com/best-club-podcast-2022-world-soccer-talk-awards)

Pulisic urged to join Bayern over Leeds (HITC)

File this one under moves that will not happen, but also moves that I’d — personally — love to see: Chelsea FC star Christian Pulisic is being urged to take a look at joining Bayern Munich (and not just by me!):

Speaking on ESPN, Steve Nicol has been discussing Christian Pulisic’s future after it was suggested that he should join Leeds United. The American’s future at Chelsea seems to be up in the air right now, and after Leeds signed two new USMNT players this summer, a viewer suggested that Pulisic should go to Elland Road.

However, Nicol has advised the 23-year-old against the move, stating that he shouldn’t go anywhere near Leeds – claiming that Bayern Munich would be a better destination for the Chelsea man. Nicol spoke about Pulisic’s next step after Leeds were suggested.

“If I’m Pulisic I don’t go anywhere near Leeds. Does he make them better? Yes, he makes them better straight away, but stay away from Leeds. No, no, no,” Nicol said. “I don’t know, maybe he could go to Bayern, if Gnabry doesn’t re-sign, maybe he could go to Bayern.”

Nicol says that Bayern Munich would be a good move for Pulisic, and we’re inclined to agree. Bayern could certainly be in the market for a new winger soon if Serge Gnabry departs, and Pulisic could be the player the Bavarian outfit turn to. One thing is for sure though, the American can aim much higher than Leeds, even if the prospect of working with Jesse Marsch, Brendan Aaronson and Tyler Adams would be appealing.

Messi making memes? (@TrollFootball)

Okay, this did make me laugh:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Flagship Show — Season 5, Episode 1 (Bavarian Football Works)

July is here, and Bayern Munich have once again been linked with Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar almost certainly wants to leave Manchester United this summer, and some parts of the fanbase think that Bayern should be happy to oblige. But is that a good idea? Meanwhile, there have been reports in the past week that Julian Nagelsmann wants to transition his team into a 4-3-3 formation for the upcoming season. With players already arriving for preseason, the coach’s tactical choices are once again under scrutiny.

In this episode, INNN and Tom discuss:

• The big Ronaldo news — is it a plausible transfer for Bayern Munich?
• What does CR7 bring to Bayern and the Bundesliga? And what does the club offer him?
• Is signing Cristiano Ronaldo a two-edged sword? Does his popularity bring unwanted attention?
• Concerns about CR7’s presence the dressing room under an inexperienced coach in Julian Nagelsmann.
• How would Ronaldo fit into a Bayern Munich team? Would he just slot in for Robert Lewandowski, or play a different role?
• Based on the last point, how viable would a 4-3-3 be at Bayern?
• The merits and problems with the 4-3-3, from personnel to tactics.
• How Thomas Muller’s role in the 4-3-3 formation changes everything about it.
• Would moving Sadio Mane to a false-9 role enable the 4-3-3 to work properly?
• Closing thoughts.

What a terrible story... (@jff_football)

This is just...sad: