Daily Schmankerl: There are 100 million reasons why Bayern Munich won’t get PSG’s Kylian Mbappé; Xabi Alonso’s release clause revealed; Harry Kane hit it off with Thomas Müller and Leroy Sané; Manchester United wants to sell Jadon Sancho; + MORE!

The pipedream is over for Bayern on Mbappé (Sport1’s Kerry Hau via @iMiaSanMia)

When the story dropped on Sunday that Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel would love to have Kylian Mbappé on his squad, there was a small segment of the Bavarian fan base who were inclined to think that maybe — just maybe — they might see the French superstar suiting up for home games at the Allianz Arena at some point in the future.

If you were one of the people yearning to see Mbappé in Germany, Sport1’s Kerry Hau (via @iMiaSanMia) is here to kill off your dreams:

Even though Thomas Tuchel said in his recent interview that signing Kylian Mbappé was unrealistic, neither the coach nor Bayern consider a potential move for the French superstar to be impossible. Mbappé is hugely appreciated at FC Bayern, with Uli Hoeneß and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge being big fans.

The name Mbappé was loosely mentioned in several discussions among the club’s bosses. Should the opportunity arise at some point, the club would at least consider it. Mbappé’s contract at PSG expires in 2024, so he would be a free agent. However, the biggest hurdle is the player’s wages. Mbappé earns around €100m (!) per year in Paris - no club without strong investors in the background can even think about offering him such an amount.

The Frenchman would have to make significant cuts if a move to Munich were an option for him. Bayern want to stick to their internal salary cap of €25m/year. Mbappé knows what he has in Thomas Tuchel - and will have to ask himself what is more important to him for his career: a lot of money or a high chance of winning many titles.

With a salary that high, there is NO shot Bayern Munich shatters their budget, even for a stud like Mbappé.

Alonso’s release clause revealed (@Transfersdotcom)

If another club wants Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso, it will have to pay €15 million:

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 3, Episode 18 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich was sleepwalking for the majority of its Champions League match against Galatasaray, but did pull out a victory that frustrated many fans.

The Bavarians eventually snared a 2-1 win ahead of this weekend’s Bundesliga showdown with Heidenheim. We will cover ALL of that, plus take a look at those pesky transfer rumors surrounding Joshua Kimmich and our old friend Robert Lewandowski’s recent struggles with FC Barcelona.

Here is the full rundown of what we have on tap for this edition of the Weekend Warm-up Podcast:

• A breakdown of the Bayern Munich vs. Galatasaray match.
• A preview of Bayern Munich vs. Heidenheim — will Thomas Tuchel learn his lesson with injuries?
• Thoughts on Robert Lewandowski’s struggles with FC Barcelona and those links to MLS (do I have to fire up another post like this?)
• How legit are the Joshua Kimmich transfer rumors?

Kane hits it off with Müller, Sané (Sport Bible)

Harry Kane has had a pretty smooth transition to Germany on the pitch given his production (though the team is definitely still working with how to best get him the ball) and off-the-field, the Englishman has struck up relationships with Thomas Müller and Leroy Sané:

Harry Kane has struck up a close relationship with two of his Bayern Munich teammates, say reports, as the rest of the squad continue to be “in awe” of him. The 30-year-old former Spurs striker, who joined Bayern in a £100 million deal this summer, set a new Bundesliga record for the most goals scored after 11 games as he bagged a first-half brace against Heidenheim on Saturday.

He has already forged a connection with many of his teammates, including Thomas Müller, who is said to be one of his best mates, according to a report from The Athletic. The pair are believed to share an interest in golf. In fact, Kane enjoys golfing in Strasslach, a south Munich suburb, with former Chelsea, Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich forward Claudio Pizarro.

Kane has also developed a strong relationship with former Manchester City winger Leroy Sané, as they have an ‘excellent understanding’ during games.

The Bundesliga’s first female assistant coach is here (@dw_sports)

Marie-Louise Eta will be an assistant coach with Marco Grote at Union Berlin. That could change once a permanent head coach is hired, but a milestone has been reached in Germany:

Loan deal on Sancho won’t work for United (Daily Mail)

Juventus was hoping to bring in Manchester United outcast Jadon Sancho on a loan, but the Red Devils want to sell the attacker outright instead:

Manchester United have reportedly shut down attempts from Juventus to try and negotiate a loan move for outcast Jadon Sancho.

Sancho looks to have no future at Old Trafford with the forward currently training on his own at the academy and barred from using first team facilities at United’s Carrington training base.

Sancho’s exile followed the winger publicly branding manager Erik ten Hag a liar over his reasons for dropping him for the 3-1 away defeat by Arsenal in September. And Fabrizio Romano claims Juve had hoped to offer a temporary solution but United are looking for a permanent one.

He tweeted: ‘Understand Juventus asked for information on Jadon Sancho deal in recent days. He’s set to leave Man United in January, Juve are interested but only on loan plus part of salary covered by #MUFC. No negotiations yet as Man Utd prefer to wait for permanent deal bids.’

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Bayern Munich 4-2 FC Heidenheim (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich ran out eventual winners over FC Heidenheim today in a game of ups and downs, with the Bavarians going 2-0 up in the first half only to see the lead vanish in minutes, but fighting back in the last stretch to bag all three points.

There were some clear issues with the squad on display, but some individual performances that still stood out. In this podcast, we discuss the game and parts of the bigger picture, specifically:

• The lineups and setups of the team.
• The fascinating rotations of the Bayern Munich XI, such as the inclusion of Bouna Sarr.
• The visible fatigue in the games of certain players who have been over-worked.
• The tweaked midfield set-up and how it evolved over the course of the game.
• The worrying and celebrated individual performances from the difference-makers today.
• The state of Bayern’s title CHALLENGE in the face of a Bayer Leverkusen super-team.

Spurs have new striker target preferred over Vlahović (To the Lane and Back)

Tottenham Hotspur is still looking for a replacement for Harry Kane.

In truth, the Premier League club should have learned from the mistakes of Bayern Munich, which was never a serious contender for European glory after Robert Lewandowski left the team and was replaced by...Sadio Mané.

Tottenham is likely feeling some of that same pain after Kane left and the team was left without a true, top-flight No. 9. Now, the club could be on the hunt for a surprise candidate to replace Kane:

Tottenham Hotspur are yet to replace Harry Kane who left for Bayern Munich in the summer and despite performing admirably so far this season, they’d be wise enough to make that replacement happen soon. This is where Santiago Giménez comes in.

The 22-year-old Mexican striker who has been making waves in Feyenoord in the Netherlands is said to be the North London club’s priority, even ahead of a more established name like Dusan Vlahović of Juventus.

This shows the immense faith that the club has in the young Santiago Giménez. They have earmarked him as the perfect candidate to lead the line for seasons to come. It would be great to have him here at the N17.

According to Caught Offside (h/t the Sun), Giménez is high on the shopping list for Tottenham. If the North London club were to sign the Mexican, there would be no doubt that he can be a very special player for us.

Vlahović was considered a top contender for Tottenham, but Giménez would assuredly be the cheaper option. Caution to Tottenham Hotspur, though, sometime you get what you pay for.

Madrid looking to revamp both outside-back positions? (Fichajes via 90Min.com)

Real Madrid has been looking at Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies to play left-back next season, but Los Blancos might also has their eyes set on a new right-back — Liverpool FC’s Trent Alexander-Arnold:

Real Madrid are scouring the market for a long-term successor to right-back Dani Carvajal and are ready to offer £70m to Liverpool for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 6, Episode 18 (Bavarian Football Works)

As Bayern Munich enter another international break, one player has shone brighter than the rest. Harry Kane is a phenomenon — he has 17 goals in 11 Bundesliga matchdays, surpassing the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Gerd Müller. This has people talking, but that’s not the only major thing that has taken place in the last week or so. FCB youth player Aleksandar Pavlović made his starting XI debut, and Thomas Tuchel has picked a fight with the German media.

In this episode, INNN and Schnitzel discuss the following:

• Is Harry Kane already a better striker than Robert Lewandowski?
• What would it take for Kane to surpass Lewandowski’s legacy at Bayern Munich?
• Is a Ballon d’Or on the cards for Harry Kane?
• Switching gears — INNN argues that Thomas Tuchel has managed to do a few things better than Julian Nagelsmann did.
• How would Nagelsmann have fared with Harry Kane?
• What could Nagelsmann have planned for Germany in this international break?
• Is it time for Joshua Kimmich to move back to right-back?
• Does Germany need a new striker?