Daily Schmankerl: Fulham in for Bayern Munich’s Joshua Zirkzee; Timo Werner is back, Benjamin Šeško is coming...what does it mean for RB Leipzig’s attack?; Is FC Barcelona going to sue Frenkie de Jong?; Arijon Ibrahimović dazzles; & MORE!

Fulham taking lead on Zirkzee? (Sports Mole)

Fulham might have taken the lead on Bayern Munich striker Joshua Zirkzee:

Staying in the Premier League, newly-promoted Fulham are reportedly in talks with Bayern Munich over a proposed deal for striker Joshua Zirkzee. The 21-year-old has spent the last 18 months on loan, firstly joining Parma for the second half of the 2020-21 campaign before spending last season with Anderlecht.

Zirkzee failed to score in just four appearances for Parma, but he had more joy in front of goal for Anderlecht, netting 18 times and registering 13 assists in 47 games across all tournaments. According to The Sun, Fulham are in negotiations with Bayern over a move for the Netherlands Under-21 international, who is valued at around £15m. Zirkzee faces an uncertain future with the Bundesliga giants as he has now entered the final year of his contract and is not regarded as a first-team regular under head coach Julian Nagelsmann.

De Jong under fire at Barca? (David_Ornstein)

Through all of the back and forth between Frenkie de Jong and FC Barcelona, one thing rang true: The Dutchman loves playing for Barça.

Now, however, that could change given that club is threatening to basically sue anyone who wrote, edited, reviewed, or signed De Jong’s contract:

Through all of this, De Jong still wants to stay at FC Barcelona, despite serious interest from both Manchester United and Chelsea FC:

To really dig into the ins and out of the story, one would need a subscription to The Athletic, and perhaps a wary eye, as this story just seems...bizarre.

Leipzig to bring in Šeško (@FabizioRomano)

RB Leipzig’s grand plan for its roster appears to be coming together.

Timo Werner is back in the Bundesliga and now it appears that RB Leipzig is finalizing a deal for Red Bull Salzburg phenom Benjamin Šeško:

Sky’s Florian Plettenberg also had information regarding the potential sale:

Now...you may ask how will this all work? Doesn’t Leipzig have a million attackers? They do...so let’s take a look at the major players:

• Timo Werner: He’s not coming back to be a spectator.
• Benjamin Šeško: He is expected to join the squad next season, so his presence won’t force any moves just yet.
• Christopher Nkunku: RB Leipzig’s crown jewel at the moment, the Frenchman could draw an offer of €75 million+ next summer.
• André Silva: Last season’s big acquisition, Silva could now be out of favor as he had only 14 goals in 45 games across all competitions last season.
• Dominik Szoboszlai: The dynamic Hungarian has yet to win over his new bosses as consistency has been an issue. The youngster still has massive talent, however, and likely has a longer leash than most on this list.
• Dani Olmo: The Spaniard is a very popular figure with even Bayern Munich reportedly a big fan of his. At some point, RB Leipzig will have to decide, with this new core group of attackers, if Olmo is more valuable on the pitch or as a player to sell.
• Emil Forsberg: The Swede is still a valuable player and a good talent, but it also might be fair to ask if his future is stable at the club.
• Yussuf Poulsen: The one-time starter next to Werner is currently injured, but now looks like he will be in a major scuffle to get playing time.
• Alexander Sørloth: The Norwegian is going to have a really tough time getting on the pitch moving forward.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 2, Episode 5 (Bavarian Football Works)

With all of the excitement brewing for the Bundesliga’s opening weekend, let’s take a look at what is on tap for this week’s podcast:

• A look at the Bundesliga and why this could be a fun season in terms of competitiveness.
• Leroy Sané’s tenuous position on the squad and why it might be difficult for the Germany international to be patient with a reserve role.
• Why it is not the worst thing in the world for Bayern Munich to pass on Konrad Laimer right now.
• Some wariness about Julian Nagelsmann points system.
• Some thoughts about why it has been hard to Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui to break through at Bayern Munich so far.

Bayern’s best training moments in July (@FCBayernUS)

Check out some of Bayern Munich’s best training moments from July:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Eintracht Frankfurt 1-6 Bayern Munich (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich opened the 2022/23 Bundesliga season with a ruthless battering of Eintracht Frankfurt, a team that regularly gets the better of the Bavarians and won the Europa League just last season. Julian Nagelsmann’s side ran rampant in a game which saw the visitors up 5-0 within the first half, in a performance which somehow managed to shock the Eagles faithful into a stunned silence. Things look good right now.

Here are our talking points from the game:

• Our thoughts on the 4-2-2-2 and whether it looks like a plausible way for Bayern Munich to move forward in a post-Lewandowski era.
• How Sadio Mané, Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller, and Jamal Musiala work together to make an amazing front four system.
• What the current midfield setup offers to the team in terms of passing.
• Why Eintracht seemed practically bewildered by Bayern’s system in the first half, and the changes in the second.
• How Serge Gnabry has seen an incredible resurgence in form with the help of Sadio Mané.
• Why Jamal Musiala has changed the entire shape of Bayern’s offense.
• Dayot Upamecano’s resurgence and his excellent performances as of late.
• Concerns over pressing and defensive lapses in the side.
• Potential tests in the future, including games in the Champions League group stage.
• A final note on the strange fatigue gripping the squad at the 60th minute of every game.

United to pursue Rabiot in lieu of De Jong? (@David_Ornstein)

Manchester United looks like it will be acquiring Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot:

And...this tweet was just too good:

Four Bayern players recognized for BuLi efforts (@WhoScored)

Thomas Müller, Serge Gnabry, Joshua Kimmich, and Jamal Musiala were all named to WhoScored.com’s Bundesliga Team of the Week:

Dybala...oh no (@Transfersdotcom)

AS Roma brought their whole city for this guy...never forget that:

BuLi 2 action is wild (Reddit)

Bundesliga 2 action is wild:

Ibrahimović dazzles on free kick (@fcbayerncampus)

Check out this free kick from Bayern Munich U-19 phenom Arijon Ibrahimović:

Arijon #Ibrahimović scored in the #FCBU19 friendly against Heidenheim with a direct free kick to make it 2-2. All information about the last friendlies before the start of the league http://fcbayern.com/2208_U19-Update

Bayern basketball reveals new logo (FCBayern.com)

Interested in Bayern Munich’s basketball squad? Well, here you go: