Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich, Chelsea lead on Juventus star Matthijs de Ligt; Manchester United to move on Konrad Laimer?; Bayern getting serious on Napoli’s Victor Osimhen; After two years, would you still have acquired Leroy Sané; and MORE!

Bayern, Chelsea lead on De Ligt? (The Hard Tackle)

Many Bayern Munich fans are dismissing the possibility that the club could actually land Juventus center-back Matthijs de Ligt because of what is expected to be an exorbitant price. However, the Bavarians have long had an interest in the Dutchman and perhaps are not willing to let a chance to get him slip by once again.

Based on the news that broke yesterday, Bayern Munich and De Ligt have mutual interest in one another — and the Bavarian brass might be willing to dole out the money to bring in the 22-year-old.

Regardless, we know at this point that Bayern Munich has at least made an “inquiry” to Juventus for the center-back and that talks are planned for this week. Chelsea FC is also reportedly very interested in the star defender:

Bayern Munich are set to rival Chelsea in the race to sign Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt this summer. According to Defensa Central, Matthijs de Ligt is strongly considering a move to Chelsea as he believes performing in the Premier League could help him garner the attention of all the top clubs across Europe. But Chelsea’s road to sign the Juventus centre-back won’t be easy, as Bayern Munich are involved in the chase as well.

The Bavarians are looking to take advantage of Juventus’ perilous situation by snapping up de Ligt ahead of the new season. It is no secret that the club are looking for defensive reinforcements in the summer after losing Niklas Sule to Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer.

There have been questions raised over the reliability of youngster Tanguy Nianzou as well, whereas Dayot Upamecano is yet to establish himself following his big-money move to the Allianz Arena last summer. It has accentuated the need for a top-class centre-back, who can bring quality to the Bayern backline that conceded goals for fun last season.

It is still kind of hard to believe that Bayern Munich is going to break deep into its coffers to sign De Ligt at this point. It is not impossible, but his rumored price tag of €70 million seems a bit too rich for Bayern Munich’s blood these days.

As they say, though, crazier things have happened.

United sweating Bayern interest in Laimer? (TEAMtalk)

Manchester United reportedly wants Konrad Laimer almost as badly as Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann does. The Red Devils, however, are embroiled in talks for FC Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong and Brentford’s Christian Eriksen and might not be able to address Laimer until after it sorts out those situations, respectively:

Manchester United’s transfer business does not seem to be getting any better. They remain in tenterhooks in their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong and Christian Eriksen, while a deal for Tyrell Malacia has still not be concluded.

And now Bayern Munich have stepped in for another one of Erik ten Hag’s targets Konrad Laimer. United have sent scouts to watch the Austria midfielder in action at Red Bull Leipzig. The Daily Mail reported that United and Spurs had scouts in attendance to watch Austria’s recent 2-1 defeat to Denmark.

But now Bayern Munich have made an offer of £20.7m for the 25-year-old. German outlet Bild say that bid was rejected as their Bundesliga rivals want a fee upwards of £26m for the player who has one year left on his contract.

Laimer did have a release clause of £30.2m in his contract, but that clause expired on June 30. Laimer does look like a back-up option for United in case they fail to land both De Jong and Eriksen, but Bayern’s could leave them looking elsewhere for a contingency plan.

Impressive stat on Gnabry (@WhoScored)

This is a pretty nice stat on Serge Gnabry:

ICYMI: The Weekend Warm-up Podcast — Season 1, Episode 56 (Bavarian Football Works)

Hey, hey, hey! No, it’s not Dwayne Nelson from What’s Happening...it’s me and I’m back for a couple of weeks (before I leave again).

While I am in town, however, I am hear to talk all things Bayern Munich and maybe some other junk, but here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A look at the latest on the three-way transfer saga involving Bayern Munich, Robert Lewandowski, and FC Barcelona.
• Assessing the current logjam in Bayern Munich’s attack.
• Check out the three center-backs linked to the Rekordmeister this week.
• Why we addressed the Julian Nagelsmann rumors when we really don’t care what he does.
• Borussia Dortmund is getting closer, but is not quite there yet.
• Why I get the attraction to So Cal.

This was also the final episode of season one of the Weekend Warm-up Podcast. Hopefully you have enjoyed it (or at least tolerated it!).

Bayern getting serious Osimhen? (Soccer Nigeria)

Is fans are skeptical that Bayern Munich will spend the €70 million or so it would take to get Matthijs de Ligt, imagine how they might feel about having to buck up €100 to €120 million to get Napoli’s Victor Osimhen?

At least one report says the Bavarians are in the running:

According to a report by authoritative Italian publication, Corriere dello Sport, Bayern Munich have made contact with Napoli for the transfer of Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen.

The Bavarians are resigned to losing star forward Robert Lewandowski, who is keen on joining La Liga giants Barcelona. And they want Osimhen to lead their attack next campaign.

Recent media reports have linked Cristiano Ronaldo with a move to the Allianz Arena, but Bayern desire a more long-term replacement for Lewandowski. At 37, Ronaldo is past his prime, though he was the top goalscorer for Manchester United last season.

A lot, however, depends on Lewandowski’s potential switch to Spain. Bayern would be in desperate search of a top-quality forward should the Polish target man departs the Allianz Arena. Even at that, the Germans will find Napoli a demanding customer unwilling to let go of their most prized asset on the cheap.

Arsenal and Manchester United have reportedly seen bids below €100 million rejected for Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian forward has shown no sign of being tired of life in Naples, even though the English Premier League remains a dream destination.

The headline over at Soccer Nigeria indicated that Bayern Munich would be readying a €120 million offer for Osimhen — which is insane on many levels. Moreover, it’s incredibly unlikely that Bayern Munich is even seeking to spend half of that on a striker at this point — even if Lewandowski leaves for FC Barcelona, Chelsea FC, or Paris Saint-Germain.

Bayern’s biggest thorn out? Could Gladbach to offload Sommer? (Sport1)

There is no doubt that Borussia Mönchengladbach goalkeeper has been one of the Bundesliga’s bets “Bayern killers”, but now he might be leaving Germany:

Is Borussia Mönchengladbach selling long-time goalkeeper Yann Sommer in order to get a transfer fee before his contract ends in 2023?

The topic has been smoldering for a long time - and is now getting new nourishment: the 33-year-old Swiss may be drawn to an old acquaintance in France in Ligue 1. According to information from L’Èquipe , OGC Nice is interested in a commitment from Sommer, the journalist Fabrice Hawkins has even reported an oral agreement between Sommer and Nice.

Lucien Favre has been training the club from the French south coast since the beginning of the week. The new coach knows the keeper from times together on the Lower Rhine. In addition, the “Adler” have to fill the position between the posts after the departure of Walter Benítez to PSV Eindhoven.

A new goalkeeper has already been brought in with Marcin Bulka (22), but Favre called for further reinforcements when he presented himself on Monday: “We still have to sign a goalkeeper, that’s clear. Even though Marcin Bulka has made a good impression so far.”

Adams to LUFC getting closer to official (@FabrizioRomano)

Leeds United recently added Marc Roca — then lost Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City) — but could be looking to make its rumored pursuit of RB Leipzig midfielder Tyler Adams a reality:

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.

The early returns on Sané? (@Squawka)

On Sunday, it was the two-year anniversary of Bayern Munich officially inking Leroy Sané:

While this is not nearly a final chapter of his story at Bayern Munich, would you do it again?