Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich narrows down midfield transfer list; Manchester City a serious threat for Jamal Musiala; João Félix would have made PSG move; Wild times at AS Roma; Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, and Real Madrid eye Dušan Vlahović; + MORE

Bayern’s midfield options narrowed down (Get German Football News)

It seems inevitable that Bayern Munich will add a midfielder and a defender during the winter transfer window...but who?

Well, for the midfield candidates it appears that Bayern Munich has narrowed down its selections to Fulham FC’s João Palhinha and Nice’s Khéphren Thuram:

While other targets will certainly be looked at, Bayern have not given up on signing a defensive midfielder, with Fulham’s João Palhinha and Nice’s Khéphren Thuram at the top of their wishlist. Thuram could be considered a cheaper alternative to Palhinha, who recently signed a new deal with the London-based club; however, if the summer has taught us anything, it is that it will be far from straightforward for Die Rekordmeister.

There still could be another player, who arises from the ashes to be included in the mix. Bayern Munich has been linked to plenty of midfielders in recent weeks, but it does appear that Paulinha is the No. 1 choice for the club’s next No. 6.

Moose to City gaining steam (@cfbayern)

Rumors have been swirling around Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala and they seemingly emerged from nowhere.

One second, Musiala was a happy-go-lucky youngster and the next...well, not that. Whether he is angry about something or does not like the manager remains to be seen, not everything appears to be in line with Musiala and Bayern Munich.

Now, Sport Bild’s Christian Falk is reporting his own version of the Musiala-to-City rumors:

As stated many times before, there is a long time before anything needs to happen. With his contract running through 2026, Bayern Munich likely feels no pressure to make any move, any time soon.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Podcast: Season 3, Episode 16 (Bavarian Football Works)

It has been an active week for Bayern Munich...and BFW.

Aside of a big win in the Champions League for Bayern Munich over Galatasaray, we saw BFW crash (at the worst possible time), a slew of transfer rumors, and some iffy coaching decisions that all lead into a Bundesliga match vs. SV Darmstadt.

Clearly, this was a crazy week and we have plenty to talk about, so let’s get to it. Here is what is on tap for this episode:

• A preview of Bayern Munich vs. SV Darmstadt.
• Some thoughts on Bayern Munich’s win over Galatasaray in the Champions League.
• Thomas Tuchel’s handling of Thomas Müller is foretelling the future for the veteran.
• The latest transfer news on Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies.
• BFW’s big crash.
• Why losing sucks (duh!).

Félix was open to PSG move (Marca via 90Min.com)

João Félix is enjoying his time at his “dream club” — FC Barcelona. However, the Portuguese star would have agree to a move to Paris Saint-Germain last summer had things materialized when he was pushing for a move away from Atlético Madrid:

João Félix was open to joining PSG during the summer transfer window, but manager Luis Enrique decided against a deal, allowing the Portugal forward to join Barcelona on loan on deadline day.

Madrid’s plan for Mbappé and Haaland (ESPN)

Real Madrid is still zeroed in snagging Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland:

AS have looked into Real Madrid’s search for a new striker for next season, with Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland the two players they are focusing on. The big question on Mbappe, 24, is whether he renews his PSG contract, while Los Blancos must decide whether they want to trigger Haaland’s release clause — a figure believed to be between €180 million and €200 million.

Not going to lie...I still want to see Haaland at Bayern Munich at some point in the future.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 6, Episode 15 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich picked up a win this weekend in the Bundesliga over Mainz 05, but bigger challenges lie ahead and the squad is officially battling #InjuryBlitz2023.

Leon Goretzka became the latest Bayern Munich player to sustain an injury and the Germany international will be out of action until roughly mid-November if things heal properly.

During a season where depth was going to be an issue, the Bavarians are hitting one pothole after another on the pathway to success. Let’s take a look at what is on tap for this week’s episode:

• Some final thoughts on Bayern Munich’s big win over Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga.
• How will Thomas Tuchel replace Leon Goretzka in the central midfield? Konrad Laimer? Jamal Musiala? Raphaël Guerreiro?
• A preview of Bayern Munich vs. Galatasaray in the Champions League.

Roma is...wild these days (ESPN)

AS Roma is quite a place to play these days.

Ball boys affecting games, a coach making crying gestures to opponents...what a time to be in Rome:

AS Roma have been fined €10,000 by Serie A after their ball boys purposely slowed down Sunday’s league game against Monza. Jose Mourinho’s side secured a dramatic 1-0 win over Monza thanks to Stephan El Shaarawy’s winner in the 90th minute. Italy’s sporting judge ruled that Roma’s ball boys took too much time to get the ball back after the home side had scored the winning goal.

A league statement read: “Roma by way of objective responsibility, to have its own ball boys, after the goal has been scored, systematically slowed down the regular restart of the game, forcing the referee to extend injury time by two minutes.”

Mourinho was also handed a one-game touchline ban after he was sent off near the end of the game for mocking Monza’s bench by making a crying gesture.

Gunners, Chelsea, Madrid eyeing Vlahović (Tutto Juve via 90Min.com)

Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, and Real Madrid are all still scoping Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović:

Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović is interesting Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid. Bids of €80m (£70m) are expected but it could take closer to €100m (£87m) to get a deal done.

Vlahović has four goals and one assists through seven Serie A games this season — and was also one of the players that Bayern Munich was eyeing for the striker position last season.

Frauen ink Zawistowska to extension (@FCBfrauen)

The Bayern Munich Frauen has extended the contact of injured forward Weronika Zawistowska:

“I’m pleased that I can stay at FC Bayern,” Zawistowska told FCBayern.com. “I’m getting great support here from both the coaching staff and the girls. My focus is now on the rehabilitation and on my return.”