Daily Schmankerl: Manchester City, Juventus, PSG scout Bayern Munich target Florian Wirtz; More rumors linking Alphonso Davies to Real Madrid; Juve could beat Bayern to Kalvin Phillips; A slew of Bayern players recognized for efforts vs. BVB; & MORE!

City scouted Bayern target Wirtz over weekend (90Min.com)

How serious is Manchester City about getting Bayer Leverkusen ace — and rumored Bayern Munich target — Florian Wirtz?

Well...Manchester City was scouting Wirtz this weekend in Die Werkself’s 3-2 win over Hoffenheim, as were Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

While there were likely several players being scouted, Wirtz is probably the “white whale” for most — if not all — of them:

Manchester City representatives watched over long-term transfer target Florian Wirtz as he scored during Bayer Leverkusen’s 3-2 win at Hoffenheim on Saturday, sources have confirmed to 90min.

Bayer Leverkusen, who are managed by former Real Madrid and Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, sit top of the Bundesliga after ten rounds of fixtures having accumulated 28 points, two more than nearest challengers Bayern Munich.

The rise of Alonso’s young side has been one of the top footballing stories across Europe so far this season, with their most recent triumph coming at Hoffenheim this weekend.

Wirtz opened the scoring from close range after being played through by in-form striker Victor Boniface, before Alex Grimaldo added to the lead from a corner. A quick-fire double from Anton Stach and Wout Weghorst pulled Hoffenheim level just after half-time, only for Grimaldo to grab a 70th-minute winner.

90min understands that officials from Man City were present at the PreZero Arena, with the primary reason behind their visit believed to be regarding versatile attacking midfielder Wirtz, whose progress they have monitored for several years.

In addition to Wirtz, 90min understands that central midfielder Exequiel Palacios is a player that Man City have been keeping a watchful eye over and have been impressed by in recent months. The Argentina international has formed a fruitful partnership alongside former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka this season.

Man City were not the only club present in south-western Germany on Saturday, with sources confirming to 90min that representatives from Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain were also in attendance.

The closer the season gets to ending, the more it seems like Wirtz is going to be positioned to move during the summer, despite having a deal with Bayer Leverkusen through 2028. If the 20-year-old continues his impressive run, his value should exceed nine figures easily — life-changing money for a club like Leverkusen (or really mostly all clubs).

More noise on Davies to Madrid (Football Espana)

The noise keeps getting louder regarding a potential move to Real Madrid for Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies:

Left-back has been an area of concern for Real Madrid so far this season. Fran Garcia has underperformed since arriving from Rayo Vallecano, while Ferland Mendy has been injured for much of the campaign. This has meant that Eduardo Camavinga has had to fill in on occasion, such as during the second half of last weekend’s Clasico victory.

However, club bosses are hopeful of addressing this next summer by signing Alphonso Davies from Bayern Munich. The 23-year-old has been on Real Madrid’s radar for some time, and they intend to make their move at the end of the season.

With Davies’ contract at Bayern expiring in 2025, he could be available on a cut-price deal, with reports suggesting that it would cost Real Madrid just €50m to coax him away from the German champions. This looks increasingly likely as contract talks between Davies and Bayern have stalled in recent weeks.

Bild (via Diario AS) say that relations between Davies’ team and Bayern are at an all-time low right now. Specifically, the player’s agent is causing tension after remarks in the media on his client’s future, and specifically in regards to Real Madrid.

At this stage, Davies looks unlikely to renew at Bayern as he wants to become one of the club’s highest earners. If nothing is agreed between now and next summer, expect Real Madrid to make their move.

In reality, Manchester City is likely the biggest threat to Bayern Munich keeping Davies, but Madrid is an appealing destination to so many players that it would not be altogether shocking if Davies made the move there.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 6, Episode 17 (Bavarian Football Works)

Craziness is abound as Bayern Munich had the most painful of losses and the most exuberant of wins within four days of each other.

The Helter Skelter nature of the team’s performances on the pitch continues, but — more than anything — Bayern Munich keeps winning in the Bundesliga and Champions League.

There is a lot to talk about and analyze, so that’s what we will do. Here is what is on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show:

• Some thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich massive 4-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker — and why even a certain type of loss would have been an okay result (I know...blasphemy).
• A preview of Bayern Munich vs. Galatasaray in the UCL.

Bayern quartet earns kicker honors (kicker via @iMiaSanMia)

Bayern Munich stars Dayot Upamecano, Leon Goretzka, Leroy Sané, and Harry Kane all earned spots on kicker’s Bundesliga Team of the Week:

On WhoScored.com’s Bundesliga Team of the Week, Kane, Upamecano, Kingsley Coman, and Noussair Mazraoui got the nod:

Juve could swipe Phillips before Bayern (Gazzetta dello Sport via 90Min.com)

Juventus could jump into the fray for rumored Bayern Munich target Kalvin Phillips. The Manchester City midfielder is up for sale in January and the Italian side could try to beat the Bavarians to the punch:

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has asked his club to sign Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips and the two teams have already started negotiations on a loan deal with an option to buy.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Podcast: Season 3, Episode 17 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich has had a week, eh?

After some brief optimism seeped into the general public’s feeling about the squad, the Bavarians went out and got “out-hearted” (not a word, but we’re going with it!) by 3. Liga side FC Saarbrücken in the DFB-Pokal in what was a horrendous result for Die Rekordmeister.

Why wait any longer, let’s dig into what is on tap for this week’s episode:

• A preview of Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker.
• Breaking down Bayern Munich’s devastating upset loss to FC Saarbrücken in the DFB-Pokal. What went wrong? How did this happen? Why does this keep happening? Is this team lacking heart and accountability? Let’s discuss.
• Is Bayern Munich planning to pursue Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz this summer regardless of a potential Jamal Musiala transfer?

Lewy knew Neuer would come back strong (Sport Bild via @iMiaSanMia)

Just prior to Manuel Neuer’s return, Sport Bild journo Tobi Altschäffl quizzed FC Barcelona striker and former Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski about Manuel Neuer’s difficult situation in returning from a serious injury.

The Polish Hitman had no doubt that Neuer was up to the task.

“I spoke to Manu directly after his injury. It was clear to me that such an injury needs time. But Manu is very willing to prove himself once again. He wants to be his former self again, which I believe he will, because he has a lot of ambition. It’s not easy after such a long break, but I hope he will manage to do it,” said Lewandowski.

Klose complimentary of Musiala (Tz)

Former Bayern Munich and Germany star Miroslav Klose, who also had a coaching stint at the club, likes that Jamal Musiala is showing he can both score and set-up others from the No. 10 position.

“It’s important and nice that he not only creates chances, but also scores. You can see that he has good legs again after his muscle injury,” Klose told Tz’s Philipp Kessler.

Musiala’s development as a player is a key point for Bayern Munich this season. The youngster has had his ups and downs so far, but still shows that fantastic and promise that has fans salivating over his potential.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show: Borussia Dortmund 0-4 Bayern Munich (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund very convincingly, 0-4, in what might have been a surprise to Bayern fans but wasn’t a surprise to just about anybody else. In this podcast, we discussed the following:

• How Thomas Tuchel’s position as head coach might change after this game.
• How Tuchel’s desire for a number six is impacted by this game.
• Will Joshua Kimmich’s position come under fire?
• What worked for Bayern today?
• What did not work at all for Dortmund today?
• A word on the Leon Goretzka - Konrad Laimer pairing in midfield.
• A word on Bayer Leverkusen and where they stand currently.
• Is Dortmund a lock-in for top four?
• Questions to be answered for Bayern moving forward.