Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich’s hopes rest on Yann Sommer as Alexander Nübel will stay put; Kai Havertz stars for Chelsea — could he be Bayern’s next No. 9?; Niklas Süle thinks BVB can win the Bundesliga; Josko Gvardiol to Manchester City?; & MORE!

Nübel unlikely to go anywhere, Sommer is the only plan (L’Equipe via @iMiaSanMia)

One thing is becoming abundantly clear for Bayern Munich — bringing back Alexander Nübel is looking extremely unlikely:

Bayern are still in contact with Monaco to this day for Alexander Nübel. The French club, however, has no intention to release the goalkeeper this month.

We heard on Sunday that Bayern Munich had re-opened talks with Borussia Mönchengladbach for Yann Sommer — and it still feels like a deal with get done between the parties. How soon that might happen is the multi-million dollar question.

According to Tz (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern Munich doe snot have a back-up plan if its pursuit of Sommer falls through:

Hasan Salihamidžić has put all his eggs in the Yann Sommer basket. There are no concrete alternatives at the moment. Although the club considered other World Cup goalkeepers - after careful consideration, it was decided the likes of (Yassine Bounou) & (Dominik Livaković) won’t be signed.

Sven Ulreich was left hung out to dry quite often in Bayern Munich’s 4-4 with Red Bull Salzburg on Friday, but that might have been a shaky enough performance to convince the Bayern Munich brass that a move needs to be made.

Süle says BVB is still in the mix for BuLi crown (Welt am Sonntag)

Former Bayern Munich defender Niklas Süle thinks Borussia Dortmund is in great shape to press the Bavarians for the Bundesliga crown.

“If we were to win the two remaining games in the first half of the season, we would be back up there with the frontrunners. I can still remember that BVB was once nine points ahead of Bayern and in the end Bayern won the championship,” said Süle.

Süle is not wrong about one thing — Bayern Munich is as susceptible to losing the Bundesliga title crown as it has been in years. Is BVB the squad to do it? Maybe, but Borussia Dortmund will need to be a whole lot better and more consistent than it was in the Hinrunde.

A feel-good ending for Havertz (@kaihavertz29)

In Sunday’s Daily Schmankerl, we saw that Kai Havertz was calling for Chelsea fans to stick together with the team. Later that day, Chelsea edged Crystal Palace 1-0 and Havertz wanted it to be known that he appreciated the support:

For Havertz, who had the game’s lone goal, it had to feel like a huge relief. Under pressure to perform and feeling the heat from fans, the German’s role on the squad is definitely in question. With Mykhailo Mudryk now in tow, Havertz could be looking at less playing time in an already crowded Chelsea attack.

It is not hard to envision him making the trek home this summer. Would Bayern Munich have interest in Havertz as its No. 9 of the future?

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Podcast: Season 2, Episode 27 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich is nearing its return to real action (non-friendlies) and there is plenty to yack about after the team broke its training camp in Doha.

With a tough test against RB Leipzig waiting next week, Bayern Munich had some things to work out at training camp and it seems like the team is settling into form. All of that combined with the general craziness surrounding the club leaves for a lot to be discussed.

Let’s take a look at what’s on tap for this week’s episode:

• A look at the takeaways from Bayern Munich’s training camp in Doha, including the winners and losers.
• Thomas Müller’s role on the squad moving forward...does he have one?
• A loan for Lovro Zvonarek during the summer transfer window?
• An update on Bayern Munich’s goalkeeper situation, including some doubt on whether or not Manuel Neuer can return to his top form.
• Getting excited for the second half of the season.

Ten Hag seeking “gems” in Holland and Germany (The Sun)

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag wants his club to scour the respective scenes in Germany and the Netherlands for talent:

Ten Hag is still keen on his old Ajax centre-back Jurrien Timber, 21, who United wanted to sign last summer and have continued to monitor. There were claims Louis van Gaal advised Timber against moving to Old Trafford at the time – later rubbished by the former United boss.

Yet he remains high on Ten Hag’s hit list, along with another Ajax duo in right-back Devyne Rensch, 19, and 20-year-old central midfielder Kenneth Taylor. AZ Alkmaar’s Swedish winger Jesper Karlsson and PSV midfielder Joey Veerman, both 24, have also been earmarked as potential signings.

A United insider said: “The manager is insistent there are gems in Holland and Germany the club should take a greater interest in. He feels quite strongly that United can steal a march and the scouts have been told United need to ramp things up in both Holland and Germany.”

Given some of the talent emerging in the Bayern Munich youth ranks and on the first team roster, might we see Manchester United look toward Säbener Strasse?

Gvardiol to City this summer? (Media Foot)

RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol could be choosing Manchester City over Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Chelsea FC during the summer. It appears that he might believe that he is ready for a move to England:

According to information from Média Foot, the Croatian wants to sign for Manchester City. Josko Gvardiol is coming off an exceptional World Cup. The Croatian has burst on to the scene and finds himself followed by all the major European teams. Chelsea, Manchester City, FC Barcelona, ​​Real Madrid and even Bayern Munich are on him and ready to pay a fortune. In France, PSG are also watching it but will not have the means to join the battle that is coming...

And according to our information, one club is holding the string in case of departure: Manchester City. Josko Gvardiol and his family are convinced that the Citizens are able to offer him playing time and the international explosion that awaits him. Gvardiol under Guardiola, it is a duo that sounds very good...

RB Leipzig does not appear very willing to let Gvardiol leave at this stage — or even in the summer. It will be interesting to see what happens, however, if Manchester City starts throwing around massive amounts of cash.

Die Roten Bullen could be tempted if Pep Guardiola is willing to throw the German club some fat stacks.

Inter-Barca talking swap? (Gianluca Di Marzio via 90Min.com)

Inter Milan and FC Barcelona might have something cooking (or maybe not...who knows? Things are crazy right now!):

Inter have received Barcelona’s proposal to swap Franck Kessie for Marcelo Brozovic and have not dismissed it outright, instead planning to speak to both players before making a decision.