Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel still making push for Harry Kane?; Bayern, FC Barcelona brawling for Croatian talent?; Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s future in hand?; Barca to poach Chelsea man?; Declan Rice to Bayern? LOL; & MORE!

Tuchel wants Kane (Football Insider via 90Min.com)

We know that new Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel is going to have a strong say in the club’s summer transfers and now we have another report stating that the former Chelsea FC and Borussia Dortmund manager is going to push the Germans hard to make a deal for Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane this summer:

Thomas Tuchel has wasted little time in telling Bayern Munich that he wants to sign Tottenham striker Harry Kane this summer, with England’s record goalscorer his top transfer priority.

In my mind, it is still an extreme longshot that Kane ever wears a Bayern Munich kit. The willingness of Kane to move and the financial logistics of getting a deal done really present too many obstacles.

That said, we will get a look at what Tuchel has planned for this squad during the summer. There could e quite an overhaul if the new boss does not like what he sees.

Bayern, Barca competing for Croatian defender (Gianluca DiMarzio via @iMiaSanMia)

According to a report from Italian journalist Gianluca DiMarzio, Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona are competing to procure 15-year-old Croatian defender Ljubo Puljić:

Bayern and Dortmund are interested in NK Osijek highly rated centre-back Ljubo Puljić (15) and are proposing a plan to develop him in the Bundesliga. Juventus and Barcelona are already negotiating and want to sign the player this summer.

Bayern Munich would obviously be eyeing the future with this move, but it’s never too early to start planning, eh?

Napoli extends deal with Kvaratskhelia (Santi Aouna via @FootballTalkHQ)

According to journalist Santi Aouna, Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will sign a new deal with the club that will keep him there through the 2027/28 season:

It should be noted that there has been no official announcement yet.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 2, Episode 38 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich had one hell of week since the last recording of the Weekend Warm-up Podcast.

Immediately after I hit the road for Richmond last weekend, the world fell for Julian Nagelsmann. By the time I hit my destination, Nagelsmann has been fired, Tuchel was linked to the job, and chaos had ensured.

It was completely wild and BFW was here for ALL of it. Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• What we can take away from Germany’s performance during the international break.
• Ryan Gravenberch’s feud with Julian Nagelsmann and why he needs to grow up.
• Thoughts on the firing of Nagelsmann, the hiring of Thomas Tuchel, and why this is a so risky.
• What the sudden change might mean for the roster — especially during the summer transfer window.

Barca could bring back Aubameyang (Sport via 90Min.com)

How much of a mess is FC Barcelona? Now, the Catalans could be considering bringing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back into the fold full time. Aubameyang is currently playing with Chelsea FC:

Barcelona are willing to re-sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Chelsea on loan this summer. The Gabon striker only made the switch from Camp Nou to Stamford Bridge back in August.

No truth to the Rice nonsense (@cfbayern)

It seems like every few weeks, we get a rumor saying that Bayern Munich is interested in West Ham midfielder Declan Rice. The good thing for us is that The Flexxxxxxx Master himself — Sport Bild’s Christian Falk — kicked it old school and hit us with a “NOT TRUE”:

Sky Sport’s Florian Plettenberg also chimed in:

Giroud set to ink new deal with Milan (FabrizioRomano)

Olivier Giroud is set to sign a contract extension with AC Milan in the coming days:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Preview Show — Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund (Bavarian Football Works)

Well, this is a hell of way for Thomas Tuchel to get his feet wet at Bayern Munich, huh?

Tuchel will lead the Bavarians against his old club — Borussia Dortmund — in a match that will have massive implications in the Bundesliga title race. Yes, this edition of Der Klassiker will have a championship look and feel, plus a lot of uncertainty from a Bayern Munich standpoint.

With BVB sitting atop the table, the Bavarians can ill-afford a loss. Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A look at where each team sits in the table and their recent form.
• Some thoughts about what kind of impact Tuchel can have in this match.
• A complete guess at how Tuchel will line up and who might start.
• A prediction on the match.