Daily Schmankerl: Chelsea plotting to take on Bayern Munich for Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo; Manchester United sets outrageous fee for Marcus Rashford; Roberto Firmino plans Liverpool exit; Benjamin Pavard being lured to FC Barcelona?; & MORE!

Chelsea to make shock move for Cancelo? (Football Fancast)

Last week, we saw that Real Madrid might challenge Bayern Munich for Manchester City loanee Joao Cancelo, but now Chelsea FC could also be in the mix:

Chelsea are reportedly plotting a monumental summer swoop for Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo, who is currently plying his trade out on loan with Bayern Munich.

According to 90min this week, the Blues are indeed interested in signing the Portugal international in the summer, with the dynamic defender also being considered by the Bundesliga champions for a cut-price fee after allegedly holding reservations over paying the optional €70m (£62.3m) fee to make his current deal permanent.

I’m not as gung ho on Cancelo just yet. He has had some tremendous moments, but I need a larger sample size to know if he will be worth the huge investment it would take to procure him on a permanent basis.

Rashford’s price tag is astronomical (Daily Star)

Remember those rumors linking Bayern Munich to Marcus Rashford? Well, it will take €140 million to get him during the summer transfer window. Yikes:

Manchester United will slap a whopping £120million price-tag on Marcus Rashford this summer. That is how much the Reds will demand for their prolific hitman, 25, should the unthinkable happen and they are forced to sell him at the end of the season.

Rashford has been good this season and looks rejuvenated, but no way is Bayern Munich going to pay that number.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 2, Episode 32 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich vs. Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League certainly lived up to its lofty billing, but the Bavarians cannot sit back and rest on their laurels.

A bit banged up and maybe a little weary, Julian Nagelsmann will have some key decisions to make this weekend, but that is not nearly all there is to talk about this week. This is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A preview on Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach.
• Some thoughts on Bayern Munich’s 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain — and what might happen in the next match.
• Julian Nagelsmann seems to be debating on what system (back three vs. back four) works better for his squad.
• What is Thomas Müller’s role on this team?
• Should Bayern Munich ink Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to an extension?

Firmino looking for new club (Sport1)

Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino has reportedly made his mind up to leave the club this summer:

What does Roberto Firmino do in summer? After all, his contract with Liverpool expires at the end of June.

Now, the English newspaper Mirror reports that the striker has decided how to proceed for him. Accordingly, the Brazilian does not plan to extend his contract and is looking for a new club.

A first interested party should even be ready. According to consistent media reports, Atletico Madrid wants to strike. Firmino is intended to replace Chelsea’s Joao Félix, who has fallen out with Atletico coach Diego Simeone.

It would be the end of an era for the 31-year-old, who has worn the Reds jersey since 2015. With 107 goals and 78 assists, he was instrumental in Liverpool becoming English champions in 2020, ending their 30-year losing streak.

Bayern Munich was rumored to be interested in Firmino, but that seems to have flickered out.

Zahavi pushing Pavard to Barca? (Abendzeitung)

Right now, it is unclear if Bayern Munich wants to keep Benjamin Pavard, and also if Pavard wants to stay with the club. Recently, some rumors have indicated that Bayern Munich is, indeed, interested in keeping Pavard.

Now, though, Pavard’s agent, Pini Zahavi reportedly wants him to make a move to FC Barcelona:

But according to “Bild”, consultant Pini Zahavi has something against it. The reason: The 79-year-old would like to transfer Pavard to FC Barcelona. It is said that Zahavi has already announced Barca boss Joan Laporta that the 2018 world champion would be open to a move to Spain.

The Bayern bosses will want to prevent that with all their might, because Pavard plays a central role in coach Julian Nagelsmann’s new back-three system . It won’t be easy for the Bavarians to keep the Frenchman, however, as the Bayern defender’s star agent has repeatedly managed to get top performers to move to Spain in recent years. Best example of this: Robert Lewandowski (FC Barcelona) and David Alaba (Real Madrid).

Pavard’s situation is one to monitor. If he leaves, the club might be forced to spend a little more than it had planned this next summer to get another starting-caliber center-back.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Gladbach 3-2 Bayern Munich (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich have always had an uneasy time against Borussia Mönchengladbach, and this game was no different. The early red card awarded to Upamecano quickly quelled any hopes of a win in Borussia Park after ages... Bayern’s early dominance ended as they went down a man, and they had to hold on for dear life as wave after wave of Gladbach counterattacks ensued.

Bayern’s attack came short this game and was simply not clinical enough, and the defense could certainly have been better, but playing Gladbach away is, in itself, a daunting task. Hoping for a win is just stupidity at this point. The great lord Hansi, who won the sextuple in that historic 2019-20 season, couldn’t get a win against Gladbach away in his tenure. Coaches throughout Bayern’s history have struggled with this fixture. Playing them for the entire game with just 10 men is just dowright a laborious task. So yeah, this result isn’t exactly surprising.

Okay, enough waffling around. Here are the major talking points from the podcast:

• Gladbach’s impeccable record against Bayern Munich
• The form of both teams coming into this game (and why it doesn’t matter)
• Tactics and lineups of both sides
• Why this loss isn’t on Nagelsmann
• Upamecano’s red card and the ramifications
• Lackluster finishing and poor passing from the midfield
• Pavard: a bright point; Gravenberch is very positive
• Gladbach games are a lost cause before kickoff

Madrid poised for change? (The Mirror via 90Min.com)

Real Madrid could be looking at a few personnel changes:

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has hinted at a possible departure for Arsenal target Marco Asensio, after saying he doesn’t care whether the Spaniard stays to sign a new deal or leaves.

Foot Mercato also is reporting that Madrid has its eyes on Tottenham Hotspur star Richarlison:

Ancelotti is more fussed about Tottenham forward Richarlison, however, and could look to lure the £60m signing to the Bernabeu, as he struggles to earn regular minutes under Antonio Conte.