Daily Schmankerl: Harry Kane’s eyes are fully focused on Bayern Munich; Decision on Manchester City’s Kyle Walker expected soon; Ryan Gravenberch to force move?; Manchester United laying groundworks for transfer window; Niclas Füllkrug news; + MORE!

Kane is “100% clear” on Bayern move (@Plettigoal)

Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg has been covering the transfer saga involving Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane very closely and the German media member is steadfastly stating that Kane will not make a move this summer — to any club aside of Bayern Munich.

For Kane, it truly might be “Bavaria or Bust”:

As the days go on, though, it does become harder to believe that Kane really wants to move. With each passing day, it seems more and more like Kane is using the German Rekordmeister as negotiating leverage.

Will that prove to be the case...or will he do the unthinkable?

Walker decision expected soon (Fabrizio Romano via 90Min.com)

A decision is expected soon in the Kyle Walker sweepstakes:

Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker will make a decision on his future soon amid interest from Bayern Munich, former club Sheffield United and teams in the Saudi Pro League.

That’s a good thing because Football 365 captured a report stating that Bayern Munich is losing patience with the process:

Bayern Munich are reportedly ‘losing patience’ with Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker and have a Manchester United target lined up as an ‘alternative’. The Bundesliga champions are prioritising the signing of a new right-back with Benjamin Pavard expected to leave in the summer.

They quickly identified Walker as a top target. The news broke after the Cityzens won the Champions League, the final trophy the England international needed to win at club level, except the Club World Cup, which is just a glorified Community Shield anyway. Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg has been provided lots of updates on the situation and his most recent tweet about the 33-year-old said Bayern are ‘still pushing’ to sign him.

It has also been revealed that City really want to keep hold of Walker and have offered him a new contract. And while the former Tottenham defender ponders what to do, Bayern are ‘losing patience’, according to Plettenberg (via FCB Inside).

Should the Bavarians fail to convince Walker to join, they will turn their attention to Bayer Leverkusen right-back Jeremie Frimpong, who is Thomas Tuchel’s preferred ‘alternative’. Walker’s City contract expires next year and is 11 years older than Frimpong, who is under contract until 2025, so the latter will unsurprisingly be ‘significantly more expensive’.

Gravenberch might have to force move (CaughtOffside)

For Ryan Gravenberch to leave Bayern Munich, he might have to start making a push, per one columnist:

Liverpool seem to have moved on from Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch after signing Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai instead, according to CaughtOffside columnist Neil Jones.

The talented young Netherlands international was the subject of interest from Liverpool earlier in the summer, according to Jones, only for Bayern to insist that the player was not for sale.

“My understanding is that while Ryan Gravenberch to Liverpool might be one to keep half an eye on, it’s certainly cooled,” Jones said.“There was talk before the end of the season that he was on Liverpool’s radar and that talks had taken place, but if you look at the players they’ve signed since then in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, I think you’d have to say it’s unlikely they get another midfield player of that type.

“I think the problem with Gravenberch was always that Bayern didn’t want to sell him. They made it clear that he certainly wouldn’t be going cheap, so if you then look at Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, both deals were made that bit easier because they both had release clauses, so Liverpool knew what they had to do and the deals were quite smooth. Liverpool prefer to avoid long-drawn-out sagas and that kind of thing, and it’s proven a successful strategy for them, with two new midfield signings now in place before the start of pre-season.”

Chelsea wants what (!?) for Lukaku? (The Observer via Sky)

Chelsea FC has some high expectations for a sale of Romelu Lukaku...like €47 million worth of expectations for the under-performing attacker:

Chelsea are holding out for £40m for Romelu Lukaku, who has emerged as a target for Juventus and Al Hilal, and have rejected a bid from Inter Milan for the striker.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Podcast: Season 2, Episode 52 (Bavarian Podcast Works)

While Bayern Munich is expected to have an impactful summer transfer window, this period feels like the calm before the storm.

Konrad Laimer and Raphael Guerreiro are signed, sealed, and delivered, while Kim Min-jae is expected to follow suit quickly (potentially by the time you read this!).

Otherwise, there is A LOT of rumbling, but not much action otherwise for the Bavarians. As it stands, this seems like a good time to take a step back and look at the big picture of what is going on — including the BPW staff earning another award (thanks to all of you!).

Let’s get to it:

• Some thoughts on BPW nailing down another “Best Club Podcast” Award from World Soccer Talk.
• Where things stand on Bayern Munich’s pursuit of Harry Kane — and why there are reasons to feel both optimistic and pessimistic. Plus, the new pecking order of things should Kane opt to stay put in London.
• Addressing the bizarre situations with Noussair Mazraoui, Ryan Gravenberch, Marcel Sabitzer, and Sadio Mane.
• Why the Leon Goretzka situation is likely coming to a head soon enough.

Amrabat to United? (Sky Germany)

Rumored Bayern Munich target Sofyan Amrabat is drawing interest from Manchester United:

Manchester United have opened talks with Fiorentina over a deal for central midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, who starred for Morocco at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Mixed signals for Füllkrug (@Plettigoal)

Niclas Füllkrug is drawing interest on the transfer market from Fiorentina:

There were also rumors Bayer Leverkusen had interest in Füllkrug, but that was unfounded per Florian Plettenberg:

According to Transfermarkt, Werder Bremen would still like to keep Füllkrug:

Werder Bremen obviously does not necessarily expect national player Niclas Füllkrug to stay on the Weser. The club made the 30-year-old attacker an offer for an early contract extension. But Clemens Fritz, head of professional football at Werder, said to “kicker”: “We can only move within the economic framework that we can afford.” A signature of Füllkrug under a new working paper is therefore considered rather unlikely, the offer made to him he should have refused.

For Fritz, there is no question that Bremen want to continue working with the top scorer of the past Bundesliga season: “We want to extend Niclas, otherwise we would not have made him the offer,” emphasized the 42-year-old. “We also clearly communicated that we want to keep him.”

PSG takes lead on Kolo Muani (Sports Mole)

Paris Saint-Germain could be considering a serious run at Eintracht Frankfurt forward Randal Kolo Muani:

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly favourites to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani, amid competition from Manchester United and Bayern Munich. Following the departure of Lionel Messi at the end of last season, PSG are beginning a new era under Luis Enrique, who was recently appointed as Christophe Galtier’s successor.

PSG are now expected to turn their attention to signing a new number nine, and Kolo Muani has emerged as their primary target. The Parisians had previously been linked with a move for Victor Osimhen, but Napoli’s £150m valuation appears to have halted their pursuit, resulting in their focus turning to Kolo Muani.

According to The Independent, PSG have made positive steps in their pursuit and are now leading the race to secure the services of Kolo Muani. PSG have supposedly convinced Kolo Muani that the chance to return to his native France will benefit him at this point of his career.

With four years left to run on his contract, Frankfurt were initially looking to receive a fee in the region of £100m. However, PSG are seemingly confident that they lower that valuation and are hoping to agree a deal with the Bundesliga side for £80m. After being linked with Kolo Muani, Man United have turned their focus to Atalanta BC striker Rasmus Hojlund, who represents a potential cheaper alternative.

Price for Maguire established (Manchester Evening News via 90Min.com)

If you want Harry Maguire, Manchester United has — allegedly — set its price:

United have set a £50m asking price for captain Harry Maguire, who remains behind Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez in the centre-back’s pecking order.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 5, Episode 53 (Bavarian Football Works)

It’s been another week of relentless transfer rumors, Bayern Munich are no closer to signing Harry Kane but significantly closer to giving Daniel Levy a stroke. There’s been good news — Kim Min-Jae is all but official — but also bad news, with Manuel Neuer reportedly suffering a setback in his recovery. The fans are still looking forward to incoming transfers but for some reason the club is struggling to finalize sales.

In this episode, INNN and Samrin talk about the following:

• What is going on with the Harry Kane transfer?
• How much does Daniel Levy want to sell him?
• Is Harry Kane the missing piece for Bayern Munich to win the Champions League? If so, what is he worth?
• The unexpected benefits of getting Kane versus someone like Vlahovic or Osimhen.
• The long list of players Bayern have not sold yet — Bouna Sarr, Sadio Mane, Lucas Hernandez, Benjamin Pavard, Yann Sommer (?), Marcel Sabitzer, Alex Nubel, and more!
• There’s honestly so many we forgot a few while recording.
• Is Kyle Walker a good option for Bayern?
• Why Thomas Tuchel doesn’t seem to have as much “control” as the media says.
• Selling Noussair Mazraoui would be a mistake, full stop.
• Thomas Tuchel seems like he’s in for a headache at the start of the Bundesliga next season.
• Ryan Gravenberch could leave, but does it matter?
• Manuel Neuer could be out for the start of next season — what should Bayern do?
• Samrin has a theory about Alex Nubel.
• INNN has delusions of grandeur.