Daily Schmankerl: Are Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur building a special relationship?; Manchester City and FC Barcelona plotting massive swap deal?; Liverpool to benefit if Bayern gets Harry Kane?; PSG better without Kylian Mbappe; & MORE!

Bayern-Spurs all chummy despite lingering Kane pursuit (Bild via @iMiaSanMia)

You would expect there to be some bad blood between Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur as the Bavarians seek to take away Harry Kane — Tottenham’s best and most popular player.

However, that is not the case as the two clubs are enjoying good relations during what many would think is a tumultuous period:

Bayern bosses left today’s meeting with Daniel Levy with a ‘very good feeling’. The feeling is that they’re on a very good way. CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and technical director Marco Neppe are leading the talks. Rummenigge acting in the background.

But wait! There’s more!

Dreesen and Levy also met for breakfast date and...had a good time. As Jermaine Stewart once belted, “we don’t have to take out clothes off, to have a good time” — the two executives followed that advice (THANKFULLY). This info comes courtesy of David Ornstein of The Athletic (as captured by @iMiaSanMia):

Jan-Christian Dreesen met Daniel Levy for breakfast in London today. No offer for Harry Kane was made at the meeting and nor was any price quoted following Bayern’s initial bid last month, with the two clubs enjoying a good relationship.

In case you wanted those...special...lyrics from Stewart, here you go:

So come on baby, won’t you show some class,

Why you wanna move so fast

We don’t have to take our clothes off

To have a good time

Oh no

You get the drift...

Player Swap! Potential De Jong-Silva swap being discussed (Football Transfers)

All of sudden, Manchester City might be involved in a few big moves. We already know about Pep Guardiola’s interest in Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard, but now he is — allegedly — thinking about sending Bernardo Silva over to FC Barcelona in a swap deal for Frenkie de Jong.

Barca has long admired Silva and Pep has always loved himself some De Jong, so is it a fit? Maybe:

Manchester City have their sights set on Frenkie de Jong and are considering a move that will make use of Barcelona’s interest in Bernardo Silva by offering a swap deal. We are told there is a potential swap deal involving the midfielders, with the Citizens valuing thei 28-year-old at around £70million.

Catalans are hoping to bolster their squad ahead of the upcoming season and De Jong takes a great part of the club’s wages up. Barcelona identified Silva as a key target to revitalise the team and have made no secret of that.

Man City now hope to use this as leverage to sign De Jong, in a bid to further strengthen their midfield options. The potential acquisition of the player would come after they failed to sign Declan Rice from West Ham, with the England international poised with a move to Arsenal.

LFC could benefit if Bayern inks Kane (Express)

Somehow, Liverpool FC could be the beneficiary if Bayern Munich eventually lands Harry Kane:

ESPN claim the 29-year-old striker wants to complete a move to Germany this summer after entering the final year of his contract. He isn’t prepared to extend his stay in north London beyond 2024, which could persuade Tottenham to sell their most prized asset later in the transfer window.

And reports suggest Bayern are preparing to offload a chunk of Thomas Tuchel’s squad to generate a transfer fee to bring Kane through the door. According to Sky Sport, the Bavarians are plotting the sales of as many as seven first-team players to help reach Spurs’ nine-figure asking price.

Reported Liverpool targets Benjamin Pavard and Ryan Gravenberch are said to be among those in the shop window, which comes as a significant boost to Jurgen Klopp’s transfer plans. Liverpool have already welcomed midfield duo Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai for a combined £115million.

I suppose the theory is that Bayern Munich shelling out so much cash for Kane, would make Pavard and Gravenberch more affordable — and more available to Liverpool:

But Klopp is believed to want a third midfielder and a right-back to bolster his engine room and allow Trent Alexander-Arnold to continue his development in a midfield role. The report states that Bayern value Gravenberch between £34m and £43m, and Klopp is a huge admirer of the 21-year-old. He is also keen on Pavard, who would cost the Reds between £30m and £34m.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Podcast: Season 3, Episode 1 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich’s preparations for the new season are commencing as the team is regrouping to attack the 2023/24 season.

As expected there is still a lot of uncertainty with the roster and so many stories that could impact how this team performs in the upcoming campiagn. Let’s take a look at what is on tap for this episode:

• It sure feels like Harry Kane is using Bayern Munich as leverage against Tottenham Hotspur. Get the latest news on Kane here!
• No one wants to leave Bayern Munich (well, except Ryan Gravenbech and Alexander Nübel), but it appears that Leon Goretzka, Sadio Mané, Mathys Tel, and Marcel Sabitzer have all caught the Bayern Munich bug.
• Is anyone worried about Manuel Neuer yet?
• Niklas Süle is reportedly “Hulking” up.

Use Instacart man (@usmntonly)

Inter Miami attacker Lionel Messi it out just romping around a Publix with a shopping cart like he is Phillip Quinn or something:

No Mbappe, no problem (@ESPNFC)

As they say, no one is bigger than the club...not even Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe:

Poch won’t comment on Kane situation (Sky via 90Min.com)

Unlike just about everyone else on the planet, Chelsea FC manager Mauricio Pochettino will not get roped into talking about the ongoing Harry Kane transfer saga:

Mauricio Pochettino has admitted he has an “amazing” relationship with Tottenham’s Harry Kane, but has said it is “not fair” to discuss his future.

McKennie out at Juve (@FabrizioRomano)

Weston McKennie’s career with Juventus appears to be over. In a weird way, this seems exactly like the type of move that Bayern Munich would make:

I’m not saying Bayern Munich is going to make a beeline to McKennie’s doorstep, but an undervalued player with a high ceiling could be an attractive option for the Bavarians. I’m not sure where he’s at right now or if he would be a fit, but it could be something Bayern Munich at least peeks at.

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.