Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich to battle with Manchester United for Harry Kane?; Bayern eyeing off-the-radar goalkeeper?; Dayot Upamecano says Lionel Messi is not hardest to defend; Roberto Firmino to stay at Liverpool?; & MORE!

Bayern has not given up on Kane (90Min.com)

Despite reports to the contrary, Bayern Munich could still have hope to bring Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane to Germany. In addition, Manchester United could be Bayern Munich’s primary competition for the England international:

Bayern Munich have not given up hope of signing Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur this summer, sources have told 90min. While reports in the German media have stated in recent months that Bayern felt their hopes of signing Kane were dwindling, 90min understands that he is very much still one of their main transfer targets.

Bayern recognise luring Kane to Germany could be difficult - he is on course to break Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League scoring record in the next few years - but the striker’s camp have still not ruled out a move abroad.

In terms of a potential transfer fee, Bayern are believed to value Kane in the same ballpark as Robert Lewandowski, who was sold to Barcelona last summer for a total package of €50m. Die Roten do recognise that Kane is younger and would cost a bit more as a result, however. Should Kane want to remain in England, then Manchester United could be an option should they maintain their upward trajectory and qualify for the Champions League.

It still feels like a longshot that Kane would want to move to Germany next summer. In fact, even a move to Manchester United for Kane feels like it would have low chances of going through — but it still seems more likely Kane leaving Tottenham Hotspur for Bayern Munich.

If, however, you wanted to let your mind wander a bit as to what Kane might look like in a Bayern Munich uniform, here you go:

Bayern’s to sign Vicario? Probably not (Football Italia)

In what might be the most “out of nowhere” Bayern Munich transfer rumor during this window, reports out of Italy indicate that the Bavarians are poised to make an expensive bid for Empoli’s Guglielmo Vicario:

Multiple reports in Italy claim Bayern Munich are interested in Empoli keeper Guglielmo Vicario and according to Tuttosport, the Bavarians have already made an opening €20m bid.

The Turin-based paper and La Repubblica report Bayern have identified the 26-year-old as a potential replacement for Manuel Neuer, who has been forced to the sidelines with a severe knee injury.

As per Tuttosport, Bayern have already offered €20m to sign the Italian goalkeeper, but the Tuscans value Vicario at €30m. Vicario was the goalkeeper with the most saves last season, 152, and according to the report, Empoli don’t want to part ways with him in January.

When this first broke, it seemed very unlikely. There is no indication that Bayern Munich wants to pay anywhere near that amount for any goalkeeper at this stage. Sky Sport’s Florian Plettenberg confirmed as much as well:

Of all the ludicrous rumors we see in the Daily Schmankerl, this was one near the top of the list.

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.

Upa says Dembele is harder to defend than Messi (Barca Universal)

Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano thinks that FC Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele is much harder to defend than Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi

Upamecano has recognised Dembele as his favourite player, though. Speaking to BeIN Sports (h/t FCB World), the Frenchman said Dembele’s name when asked about his favourite player.

He was also asked about the most difficult player he had faced.

“The most difficult forward I have faced in defence is Ousmane Dembele,” Upa said.

The interviewer then naturally brought up Lionel Messi, who scored two goals against Upamecano in the World Cup final. He rejected the idea, though, saying, “No, not Messi. It’s Ousmane. He is very, very fast.”

Niederlechner off to Hertha now? (@RaeComm)

It was previously assumed that Florian Niederlechner would not be able to join Hertha Berlin until the summer, but it looks like he could head to the capital this month instead:

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 5, Episode 29 (Bavarian Football Works)

With only one week left to go before the Bundesliga restarts, Bayern Munich still don’t have a new keeper. The test game vs RB Salzburg ended in a 4-4 draw with the youngsters scoring upstaging the senior players by a wide margin. Fans and Julian Nagelsmann are worried about how the transfer window is shaping up, but there are also questions about the starting XI and tactics.

In this episode, INNN and Schnitzel talk about the following:

• Our impressions from the friendly.
• Comments on Mathys Tel and Arijon Ibrahimovic, the two outstanding talents.
• Crediting Hasan Salihamidzic for how Bayern’s youth system is functioning at the moment.
• Why Bayern’s youth setup looks far better than Borussia Dortmund right now.
• Which youth players deserve a callup to the first team?
• INNN brings up the elephant in the room — Thomas Muller is being misused AGAIN.
• A back-and-forth over Thomas Muller’s future role in the team, rotation, and lineups against PSG in the Champions League.
• How Thomas Muller and Jamal Musiala can coexist in the lineup without conflict.
• Moving onto Yann Sommer and the problem with the goalkeeper search.
• A quick aside on the transfer and table weirdness in the EPL.
• Ending the pod on a positive note.

Weghorst-United go official (@ManUtd)

In a move that has been anticipated for days now, former Wolfsburg star Wout Weghorst is now officially a member of Manchester United:

Firmino to stay put? (@Plettigoal)

It looks like Roberto Firmino will be staying at Liverpool FC after all:

Frauen ink Hoffenheim defender (@FCBfrauen)

The Bayern Munich Frauen signed defender Katharina Naschenweng from TSG Hoffenheim: