Daily Schmankerl: Why Bayern Munich fans need to thank Cristiano Ronaldo (weird, right?); Bayern to make move for another Tottenham Hotspur star?; PSG’s massive offer to Kylian Mbappe; FC Barcelona could enter Federico Chiesa sweepstakes; + MORE

How Ronaldo help Bayern maybe lose Mané (The Mirror)

If attacker Sadio Mané does move to Al Nassr, Bayern Munich fans might want to thank...Cristiano Ronaldo:

Sadio Mane is set to become teammates with Cristiano Ronaldo after agreeing to join Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. Mane has long been linked with a move away from Bayern Munich after just one season. Having been signed from Liverpool for £35.1million last summer to replace goal machine Robert Lewandowski, Mane managed just seven Bundesliga goals in 25 appearances. And L’Equipe report that Mane is now on the verge of joining Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.

It is claimed the player has an agreement in principle with the Saudi club, but the deal is ‘not yet fully concluded’. The move would see him lead the line alongside Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr back in January after his contract with Manchester United was terminated following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan. Mane has previously spoken about his relationship with Ronaldo, revealing the Portuguese superstar congratulated him on his move from Liverpool to Bayern. “I met Cristiano Ronaldo in Mallorca before this season after my move was completed,” Mane told Bild.

“He congratulated me and told me, ‘A great club! This is a great step for you!’ That says everything about the Bundesliga and underlines what I’ve already said: I think you underestimate the Bundesliga here. The recent performances in the Champions League prove that.”

Despite Ronaldo believing Mane’s switch to Bayern would be a “great step” for the 31-year-old, it has certainly not worked out that way. Current boss Thomas Tuchel gave a scathing assessment of Mane’s time at Bayern earlier this month, stating that he “fell short of expectations.”

Mané’s tenure with Bayern Munich looks very close to being over and it should be seen as a positive on several levels as it will positively impact the budget and also the roster planning.

Bayern could make a move for Højbjerg, too (The Boot Room)

There have been rumors linking Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg to Bayern Munich and at least one report indicates that it is a serious option for both Højbjerg and teammate Harry Kane to move to Germany:

The German club are looking to improve their squad this summer. They’ve already beaten a number of English clubs to the signing of Kim-Min Jae, and as we know, are trying to tempt Kane from Tottenham. But according to The Sun, Bayern’s interest in Tottenham players doesn’t just stop with the England skipper.

The Sun claims that Bayern are showing an interest in signing Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as well. The £20m midfielder is thought to be on his way out this summer. The arrival of Ange Postecoglou, coupled with a desire from the player himself to find a new challenge, has led to a number of rumours over his future.

Atletico Madrid are thought to be the leading the chase to sign Hojbjerg. However, a move back to Bayern could well appeal to the midfielder. Lauded by Jose Mourinho as a ‘phenomenal’ and ‘intelligent’ footballer, Hojbjerg has been key for Spurs. But with another new manager in place, it looks like his time with the club could be ending.

We have seen Højbjerg linked to Bayern Munich several times in recent weeks, but should any or all of the trio of Leon Goretzka, Marcel Sabitzer, and Ryan Gravenberch leave the club, we could see the Bavarians go to the well at Tottenham Hotspur once more.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Podcast: Season 3, Episode 2 (Bavarian Football Works)

Another week, another crazy period for Bayern Munich news.

While there were no major breaks in the club’s pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane, there was still plenty of moving and shaking going on. We had a lot of weird news break...some true, some not, some probably falling somewhere in between.

Let’s taking a look at which topics we’ll dive into for this edition of the Weekend Warm-up Podcast:

• A brief look at where things stand with Kane after Uli Hoeneß went scorched Earth on Tottenham.
• Ahead of a potential move to Al Nassr, a look back at Sadio Mané’s tumultuous tenure at Bayern Munich.
• Assessing the rumors regarding Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, and Marcel Sabitzer.

Messi does Messi things (@MLS)

Was there any better ending for Lionel Messi’s first match with Inter Miami?

Mbappe’s new deal could be worth a billion...seriously (Defensa Central via 90Min.com)

The money is getting insane.

Paris Saint-Germain is reportedly ready to offer Kylian Mbappe a 10-year, €1 billion contract:

Paris Saint-Germain have offered Kylian Mbappe a new ten-year contract worth a whopping €1bn - the most lucrative contract in sports - to try and convince him to stay at the club, but the Frenchman remains adamant he wants to leave for Real Madrid.

Potential PSG move for Kane gets lambasted (football.london)

If you ask former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O’Hara about a potential move to Paris Saint-Germain for Harry Kane, you should be prepared to get an earful:

Following feelings at Bayern that progress was being made, Paris Saint-Germain put plans in place to hijack a potential deal, however it has been reported by The Telegraph that Kane is not interested in a move to the French capital.

That stance has now been elaborated on by former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara who has quoted Messi and Neymar in his reasoning as to why Kane wouldn’t want the move.

Speaking to Grosvenor Sport, he said: “Why on earth would he go to PSG? He’s not going to want to go and play in a farmers’ league. Everyone has left, Neymar wants out, Lionel Messi has left, Kylian Mbappe is pulling his hair out and wants to go to Real Madrid.

“So why would Kane want to go there? To win the dog and duck cup every season? There’s no point in him going to PSG, it means nothing.”

Madrid player raps on potential Mbappe, Kane moves (90Min.com)

Real Madrid winger Rodrygo has seen the rumors linking his club to both Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe. The 22-year-old said such things are just par for the course with Los Blancos.

“At Real Madrid, it’s very complicated, there are always rumours and this year there were rumours about Harry Kane,” Rodrygo said. “When I arrived in Madrid there was a lot of talk about [Paul] Pogba coming, so I don’t have any information, we have to wait and see. Of course, I hope Mbappe comes because he will help us a lot. He is a real star, but we really don’t know anything.”

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 6, Episode 1 (Bavarian Football Works)

In this episode of the flagship show of Bavarian Podcast Works, Tom and Schnitzel discuss:

• Not exhausting the Harry Kane rumors
• The proposed Pavard/Walker swap deal between Bayern and Manchester City
• How Bayern’s defense is shaping up overall for next season
• Will Noussair Mazraoui play over Pavard or Walker?
• Should Sadio Mane definitely leave for Saudi Arabia?
• What went wrong for Mane last season
• Tuchel’s prospects of being Bayern manager long term. How long will he last?
• Would Kane coming put more pressure on Tuchel?
• Bayern’s plethora wide attacking players
• Should Bayern keep or sell Serge Gnabry

Another Sané bolts from Schalke 04 (Sport1)

Yet another Sané brother has left Schalke 04:

Schalke 04 also loses the third attacker from the Sané family.

Sidi Sané, the little brother of Bayern star and national player Leroy, is moving from U23 in the Bundesliga team to Eintracht Braunschweig. The winger, who feels comfortable on the right flank like his brothers Leroy (27) and Kim Sané (28), will therefore meet his training club in the 2nd Bundesliga in the future.

“It feels really good to be a lion. After such a long time at FC Schalke, this is exactly the right step for me,” said Sané, who will sign with the Bundesliga founding member until 2025.

Barca might work for Chiesa swap (Tuttomercatoweb via 90Min.com)

Bayern Munich and Liverpool FC have been mentioned as the most likely candidates to land Juventus winger Federico Chiesa, but FC Barcelona could be looking to enter the chat:

Barcelona have asked Juventus to include winger Federico Chiesa as part of any bid for midfielder Franck Kessie.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — FC Rottach-Egern 0-27 Bayern Munich (Bavarian Football Works)

That was a long period without Bayern Munich, wasn’t it?

The Rekordmeister are back, for the season 2023-24 and there’s a lot going on — from new players, to an interesting scenario involving who’s in-charge. Starting the season off with an easy game against FC Rottach-Egern, we won 27-0 (!!). Featuring the new additions Konrad Laimer and Raphael Guerreiro, the new era of Bayern looks rather exciting and we’re all in for it.

Here are our talking points from the game:

• A quick recap of what went down last season, what’s different from then to now
• Hype for the new transfers — Kim Min Jae, Laimer and Guerreiro
• Opinions on Laimer and his role under Tuchel
• Re-emphasis on Jamal Musiala’s qualities and how he has improved this season
• Mathys Tel’s future at this club looks pretty good!
• Marcel Sabitzer and an extended rant about his time here so far
• Disappointment with Sadio Mane (and a slightly snarky remark)
• Injuries galore!
• First half vs second half — critiques, praise and whatnot