Daily Schmankerl: More info on Bayern Munich’s interest in Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane and FC Barcelona’s Gavi; Controversial selections for Bayern vs. Inter Milan?; Bayern still looking to sell Bouna Sarr?; Saša Kalajdžić’s horrid luck; and MORE!

Kane firmly on Bayern’s radar for 2023 (@cfbayern)

There has been a lot of back and forth about Bayern Munich’s rumored pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane. Sport Bild’s Christian Falk took to Twitter to try and detail his information.

Per Falk, Bayern Munich is planning on making Kane an offer next summer:

The back-and-forth with Kane is kind of crazy. It almost seems as if there is sooooooo much smoke that there is, indeed, some fire to these reports. Envisioning how Kane would fit in with this Bayern Munich attack is very interesting.

Imagining a front four of Kane, Thomas Müller, Jamal Musiala, and Sadio Mané is intriguing. Would that be your front four at the top of Julian Nagelsmann’s 4-2-2-2 — if that quartet, plus Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sané, and Kingsley Coman all remain with the squad next season?

Awful luck — Kalajdžić tears ACL (@Wolves)

Wolverhampton’s Saša Kalajdžić tore his ACL.

The Wolves’ medical team provided this update on the big Austrian:

Sasa felt a pain in his knee late in the first-half against Southampton. Unfortunately, scans reveal an anterior cruciate injury and he will see a knee specialist tomorrow. We now need to support Sasa in his recovery and further updates will follow.

The former VfB Stuttgart striker will be headed for an extended stay on the sidelines.

That is bitter: in the first outing for the @Wolves Sasa Kalajdzic has been injured per @SPORTBILD -has ruptured his cruciate ligament. He will now be out for months.

Kalajdžić, of course, was heavily linked to Bayern Munich earlier in the summer and probably wishes that move worked out after this horrid bit of luck. Hopefully, the Austrian can have a speedy recovery.

Meanwhile, Wolverhampton might be about to dust off Diego Costa:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 2, Episode 9 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich once again could not find a way past Borussia Mönchengladbach and settled for a draw, but rebounded with a nice win over Viktoria Köln in the DFB-Pokal.

Even with all of the action on the pitch, there was still a lot to talk about off of it. Let’s take a look at what we have on tap for this episode:

• Assessing the club’s performances against Gladbach and Viktoria Köln.
• Bayern Munich’s depth is incredible.
• It’s a matter of time before Matthijs de Ligt is an anointed full-time starter.
• Daydreaming about a Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City Champions League finale.
• A look at Bayern Munich’s transfer window.

Gavi being targeted for 2023, too (@cfbayern)

Christian Falk also hit Twitter to detail his latest info Bayern Munich’s alleged interest in FC Barcelona midfielder:

With Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka already locked down to long-term deals — and Ryan Gravenberch a summer signee, it would appear that there is not much room for another central midfielder on the roster. Moreover, Marcel Sabitzer has been nothing short of outstanding this season in filling in for Goretzka. Somehow, though, the Austrian seems to be in the most tenuous position of the group.

With the club being linked to Gavi, RB Leipzig’s Konrad Laimer, and FC Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, it is very curious. Is Nagelsmann eventually eyeing a move to a different formation such as a 4-3-3 or does the club think it needs another top-level player in the group?

Kimmich named to Bild’s Team of the Week (Bild via @iMiaSanMia)

Joshua Kimmich has been pretty great this season and was honored once again for his efforts:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Union Berlin 1-1 Bayern Munich (Bavarian Football Works)

It’s happened again. After an amazing start to the season, Bayern Munich have suffered a second consecutive draw to Union Berlin, putting an end to the perceived invincibility of this side. With Champions League games starting up again, it’s a very bad time for Julian Nagelsmann to hit a bump in the road.

Here are our talking points from the game:

• Bayern Munich draw yet again thanks to some staunch defending by Union Berlin. Should that concern us? (Answer: Yes.)
• Addressing Nagelsmann’s choice to have a lack of width on the pitch.
• Why this Union game result differs greatly from what happened against Gladbach.
• Sadio Mane’s terrible, not-good, very bad game. Is the honeymoon over?
• The problem with Leroy Sane today.
• Addressing the rest of the forward line and their issues.
• Why Julian Nagelsmann needs to bring the unpredictability back to Bayern’s attack.
• Pointing out a few good performances — Matthijs de Ligt and Marcel Sabitzer.

Would this be your XI? (kicker via @iMiaSanMia)

German outlet kicker put together its predicted starting XI for Julian Nagelsmann ahead of the team’s Champions League showdown with Inter Milan.

There are the notable selections:

• Marcel Sabitzer over Leon Goretzka: This isn’t necessarily a shock because Goretzka needs more time to reach 100% and also because Sabitzer has been excellent, but in past years it feels like Hansi Flick and Julian Nagelsmann would have both pushed the Germany international back into the lineup a little early.
• Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman over Leroy Sané and Jamal Musiala: Musiala is still a little banged up and it is probably not worth playing him at all. At some point, the kid needs a full rest to heal and not a sub appearance putting him at further risk. The old cliché applies...this season is a marathon, not a sprint. As for Gnabry over Sané, it makes sense to me. Both have had their moments...and for me, Gnabry has been better so far. Sadio Mané and Thomas Müller are no-brainer selections, though I feel like Coman, Gnabry, and Sané all have the talent to push Mané if his form dips. Müller’s importance to the XI seems pretty evident.
• Matthijs de Ligt over Dayot Upamecano: This move feels like it will become permanent shortly. De Ligt looks like he is the missing piece to the backline and while Upamecano has been good, it feel like his next gaffe is always just around the corner (that’s not being unfair, Upamecano has been really good, but has been prone to big mistakes at times). It is an absolute luxury to have three center-backs this good, but I’d rate De Ligt ahead of Upamecano at this stage.

A Falk’n heavy Schmankerl (@cfbayern)

We are going Falk’n nuts here with three Christian Falk flexxxes in this Schmankerl, but why not live on the edge?

In this tweet, Falk indicates that Bayern Munich might still be able to unload Bouna Sarr because the Turkish transfer window is still open: