Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich, Liverpool battling over Manchester City star?; Ryan Gravenberch a perfect fit for Manchester United?; Benjamin Pavard should like new role at Inter Milan; Real Madrid prepping Kylian Mbappe bid?; + MORE

Bayern, LFC battling over Phillips? (90Min.com)

Wow...this is dusting off a name from quite a few weeks ago, but according to information obtained by 90Min.com, Bayern Munich and Liverpool FC are both still chasing Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips:

Bayern Munich and Liverpool have both shown interest in signing Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, 90min understands. Phillips moved to City from Leeds United last summer for a fee of £45m but has been restricted to just 21 appearances and under 600 minutes of action in the 12 months since.

Despite his struggles, the 27-year-old insisted earlier this summer that he wanted to stay and fight for his future at the club, but that has not stopped teams from across Europe voicing an interest in his services. Indeed, sources have confirmed to 90min that German champions Bayern Munich are keen on Phillips, with their interest driven by manager Thomas Tuchel, who is known to have been impressed by the England international during his time working at Chelsea.

Liverpool have also enquired about a move for Phillips as Jurgen Klopp seeks to bolster a midfield that missed out on both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Tuchel’s former employers.

The defensive midfielder would give Thomas Tuchel the defined No. 6 that he desires, but would he an upgrade over a starting duo of Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka or Kimmich and Konrad Laimer?

That’s a big question, along with how much it would take to get him away from Pep Guardiola. Unless there is a knock-down, no-doubt transfer target available, it seems unlikely that Bayern Munich will make another “big” move for a midfielder — at least during this transfer window.

Gravenberch is touted as perfect fit for United (Manchester Evening News)

It still feels like it is a legitimate possibility that Bayern Munich will sell Ryan Gravenberch before the transfer window ends and Manchester United thinks it has the perfect role for him:

With just over a week to go until the summer transfer window closes, Manchester United face a race against time to try and fix a major problem.

United, following a forgettable 2021/22 campaign, rebuilt their midfield last season with the signings of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro. The duo arrived during last summer’s transfer window and both made almost immediate impacts, joining forces with Bruno Fernandes in the engine room.

After several seasons of ‘McFred’ anchoring the midfield prior to their arrivals, United’s supporters were confident that their midfield troubles of yesteryear were firmly in the past. At the same time, however, they recognized that their midfield needed an injection of freshness and energy this summer.

United have drafted in three new faces so far this summer, spending north of £150m. They now need to rely on sales to strengthen the squad further.

But with just over a week of the window left, United, whether it be by hook or by crook, need to pull something out of the bag from somewhere to strengthen their midfield. Casemiro is in desperate need of some defensive support and Mount, as has been highlighted, albeit after just two games, is not looking as though he will be capable of providing it, often drifting high up the pitch and leaving the Brazilian exposed.

In a bid to try and secure the former Real Madrid ace some protection and support, United are running the rule over Bayern Munich ace Ryan Gravenberch. Ten Hag worked with the Netherlands international at Ajax and United are considering attempting to sign him before the bell.

Though he is not an out-and-out destroyer who will sit deep and occupy the No.6 berth as a primary focus, he is more accustomed to a defensive role than Mount is. He has operated as a No.6 in the past, despite being a progressive, forward-thinking player, and is more reserved than Mount, meaning he could operate closer to Casemiro.

According to The Mirror, Bayern Munich wants roughly €26 million for the Dutchman:

Bayern Munich want £22million if they’re to sell out-of-favour midfielder Ryan Gravenberch to Manchester United or Liverpool. Mirror Football understands that the two Premier League giants are locked in a battle over the 21-year-old Dutchman, whose Bayern career is yet to take flight following his move from Ajax last summer, making only three Bundesliga starts since.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 3, Episode 6 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich is set for its Bundesliga opener, but there are still many questions that are unanswered when it comes to the squad.

How much longer will Manuel Neuer be out of action? How will Thomas Tuchel settle on playing his center-back trio? Is Benjamin Pavard going to leave before the window ends? Is Thomas Müller going to spend the season picking up scrap minutes?

Yeah, there is a lot going on. Let’s not waste any more time and get right down to it. This is what we have on tap for this week’s episode of the Weekend Warm-up Podcast:

• Looking at the potential transfer situations of Pavard and Ryan Gravenberch.
• A look at what is going on with the goalkeeper situation and why Bayern Munich seems poised to ride it out with Sven Ulreich until Neuer is healthy.
• Exploring whether or not Müller has a role on this season’s squad.
• How hyped are you for Harry Kane?

Pavard’s role at Inter is clear (Football Italia)

If Bayern Munich star Benjamin Pavard gets his desired move to Inter Milan, it is expected that he will get that move to center-back that he has long wanted:

Benjamin Pavard will slightly change his role at Inter, playing in a three-man defence under Simone Inzaghi as he had predicted in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport in November. The Nerazzurri expect Pavard in Milan for his medical on Tuesday or Wednesday and are ready to complete a €32m transfer, including add-ons.

During an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport in November, he said the Italian league was ‘very interesting’ adding he was ‘considering new projects as a centre-back.’

Pavard has mainly played as a right-back so far in his career but will slightly change his role at Inter by being deployed as a right centre-back in a three-man defence. He will mainly have defensive duties, but the Frenchman will also have chances to push down the right flank as his new teammate Alessandro Bastoni often does on the opposite side.

Milan legend Beppe Bergomi spoke about Pavard’s imminent arrival in Milan, saying his new role won’t prevent him from settling in well at Inter.

Pavard himself spoke of his role models in defence in November 2022.

“I like Thiago Silva, who is always at the top despite his age. I’ve always admired Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta and Giorgio Chiellini,” he said. “I still watch them on YouTube, there is always something to learn from them.”

Pavard’s tenure at Bayern Munich had its ups-and-downs, but he was a very good player for the club. If not for rushing back from injuries and attempting to play at less-than-100%, Pavard would be thought of a lot differently. There is something to be said for his willingness to push himself to get back on the pitch in those situations, though, as well.

How will you remember Pavard?

Berlin getting closer to Bonucci signing (Sport1)

No one knows if Union Berlin’s “star push” will work, but it is pretty damn exciting for the Bundesliga.

After getting Robin Gosens and Kevin Volland, Die Eisernen is getting closer to securing Italian European Championships winner Leonardo Bonucci:

For the first Champions League season in the club’s history, Union Berlin is upgrading properly in the current transfer period. Among others, Robin Gosens and Kevin Volland, two players who already wore the jersey of the German national team, recently joined the Köpenickers.

Apparently there is at least one other well-known player on the iron list - Leonardo Bonucci. According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, this week is crucial for the transfer. Accordingly, the Bundesliga fourth of the past season is waiting for the green light from the central defender. The negotiations should progress and Bonucci must now decide.

The fact that Union is even associated with the 2021 European champion is due to his situation at Juventus Turin. Despite the current contract until 2024, the 36-year-old no longer plays a role in coach Massimiliano Allegri’s plans and was even removed from the squad.

In order for the defender (114 caps) to have a chance of a possible nomination for the European Championship next year, he has to look for a new club.

Keep an eye on Union Berlin this season. The club is placing some experienced veterans around some very exciting young players, which could be a solid mix in Germany.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show: Werder Bremen 0-4 Bayern Munich (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich won 0-4 and all is right in the world and Thomas Tuchel will win the treble! Well, not quite.....and we will explain why in this podcast. Rayyan and Samrin discuss the following on this show:

• Leon Goretzka’s performance and why Thomas Tuchel almost had to play him.
• The disjointed performances the attack continues to produce which brings the spotlight on.....
• .....Jamal Musiala for all the wrong reasons and Thomas Müller for all the right reasons.
• A word on Leroy Sané and another on Noussair Mazraoui.
• Many words on the goalkeeping situation and what Sven Ulreich did (and didn’t) do well
• Harry Kane’s performance — what the Englishman did right and what he needs to improve upon.
• Whether this performance helps Thomas Tuchel’s case moving forward.
• Upcoming fixtures which will test Bayern
• Could Mathys Tel becoming a starter?
• Who should be the center-back pairing for Bayern?
• A word on Benjamin Pavard and whether he is actually leaving.

Madrid prepping another run at Mbappe? (Bild via 90Min.com)

Real Madrid could still make an offer on Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe:

Real Madrid are preparing a £103m bid for Kylian Mbappe which will be submitted late in the transfer window in the hope that it pressures Paris Saint-Germain into accepting.

Meanwhile, AS is reporting that a sale of Mbappe is still possible even this late in the window:

PSG and Qatar are still waiting for an offer from Real Madrid before the end of the market. In one of the topics of the meeting, the Qatari emissaries acknowledged that “they do not understand why” a team that shows so much interest in Mbappé has not yet made an offer for the player, risking another year in which the capital club could renew to his star. The position of the Parisians is clear: if an offer of 250 million arrives, they will sell him. If not, they won’t even bother to listen to it.

ICYMI: Philipp joins Freiburg (@Transfermarkt)

Well-traveled attacker Maximilian Philipp has joined SC Freiburg:

Philipp has had trouble settling into a role during his many stops, but maybe Freiburg will give him that chance:

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

So Bayern Munich are off to a winning start in the Bundesliga, with Harry Kane scoring and assisting and generally having a great debut (if you ignore the Supercup — that never happened). Despite this, you get the impression that Bayern were not playing anywhere near their best football, struggling to creature chances against Werder Bremen despite dominating proceedings. Meanwhile, movements happened in the transfer market as well.

In this episode, INNN and Samrin discuss the following:

• A recap of Harry Kane’s opening performance, and what could get better.
• Is Thomas Tuchel going to give Thomas Muller the importance he deserves?
• Why do coaches insist on using Jamal Musiala in the attacking midfield position?
• Leon Goretzka’s performance scrutinized — what it means for Konrad Laimer under Thomas Tuchel.
• What is going on between Bayern Munich, Thomas Tuchel, Josip Stanisic, and Benjamin Pavard?
• Should Bayern Munich bring in this new goalkeeper — what is the latest on Manuel Neuer?
• Which teams can actually challenge Bayern this season? Looking at Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Union Berlin, and others.

Davies, Kane, Tel earn honors (SofaScore)

Alphonso Davies and Harry Kane both earned honors for their performances last weekend by SofaScore:

In addition, Mathys Tel earned a spot on WhoScored’s U-21 Team of the Week for Europe’s Top 5 Leagues: