Daily Schmankerl: FC Barcelona joins Real Madrid in wanting Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich; How Manchester Uni…

Barca eyes Kimmich, but Bayern refuses to sell (Barca Universal)

FC Barcelona has reportedly joined Real Madrid in coveting Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich, but the Bavarians will not sell the Germany international — “even for €100 million”:

Over the past few hours, there has been a lot of noise surrounding Barcelona and their reported interest in Bayern Munich midfield mainstay Joshua Kimmich. Reports broke earlier today claiming that the 28-year-old was unhappy in Bavaria and was looking to leave in the summer, with Barcelona being credited with serious interest in securing his services.
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Furthermore, it was reported that Bayern Munich were eyeing a summer move for Declan Rice, which could potentially pave the way for Kimmich to leave the club in the summer. However, according to a fresh update from journalist Tobi Altschaffl of BILD (via Reshad Rahman), Bayern Munich will not sell Joshua Kimmich even if they are offered a sum of €100 million for his services.

Bayern have no desire to let go of their ace midfielder and wish to keep him at the club. So much so that they are prepared to turn down offers of around €100 million for the German international.

So, that could very well be it as far as Barça’s pursuit of Kimmich is concerned. However, it must be remembered that the Bavarians had presented a similar stance with Robert Lewandowski last year, but ultimately relented and sold him to the Catalans.

Here is a look at Rahman’s initial tweet:

It still sounds kind of “loose” and given Barca’s already stocked midfield, it would seem unlikely that the Catalans would be eager to add another big transfer fee and salary at a time where the club is trying to financially maneuver things to bring back Lionel Messi.

According to Sport1’s Kerry Hau, the interest from clubs like Madrid and Barca in Kimmich is not exactly new and it is an extreme longshot that the Bavarians would consider selling the Germany international (as captured by @iMiaSanMia):

Barcelona and Real Madrid’s interest in Joshua Kimmich is not new. However, one thing is certain for Bayern bosses: Kimmich is not for sale, there’s no price tag for him. They’re planning with him as midfield boss and captain after the Neuer/Müller era.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano also chimed in to discount the rumor:

Kimmich seems set for a move to the No. 8 position at Bayern Munich, which has been foreshadowed throughout this season as he got further up the pitch and did less ball distributing from deeper positions.

Will that be a good move for the team?

United really blew this chance to get Haaland (90Min.com)

How bitter would you be if you were a Manchester United fan and had to look across town to see Erling Haaland ripping and romping for Manchester City — when the Red Devils absolutely could have had him?

I would be…irate:

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has insisted that he tried to persuade Manchester United to sign Erling Haaland as a teenager, only for his pleas to be ignored.

Solskjaer oversaw Haaland’s development during their respective spell at Molde between 2017 and 2018 before the former rejoined Man Utd, firstly as caretaker manager before receiving the job on a permanent basis.

Speaking to an audience at the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel on Friday evening, Solskjaer revealed that he tried to persuade United to take on the then up-and-coming Haaland when Jose Mourinho was manager.

“I got in contact with United because we had this talented striker who they should have had,” Solskjaer said. “But they didn’t listen, unfortunately. Four million, I asked for. But they never signed him. Four million! Don’t ask [where he is now]. He’s too good.”

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 5, Episode 45 (Bavarian Football Works)

Thomas Tuchel pushed all of the right buttons with an all-out, attacking formation and style of play in dismantling Schalke 04 over the weekend.

However, that was just one of the many storylines surrounding the team at the moment. Let’s take a look at the topics of discussion on this week’s edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show:

A look at the Schalke 04 match, the impact made by Thomas Müller, and how it all came together for at least one game.
A look at the backline: Who should stay, who might go, and how things are lining up for next season.
Addressing the transfer rumors linking Bayern Munich to RB Leipzig’s Dani Olmo (Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Manchester United are also in the mix), why it probably does not work, but perhaps one reason why the Bavarians could be considering it.

Musiala, Cancelo earn top honors (@WhoScored)

Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and Joao Cancelo were names to WhoScored.com’s Top 5 Leagues Team of the Week:

United wants Rabiot (L’Equipe via 90Min.com)

Manchester United might be ready to finally pull the trigger on a move for Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot:

Manchester United have reignited their interest in Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot and will push to sign the Frenchman this summer.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Bayern Munich 6-0 Schalke (Bavarian Football Works)

So Bayern Munich finally had a good performance under Thomas Tuchel. Schalke have been undergoing a bit of a renaissance in recent weeks, but they were simply unable to compete with the dynamism and dominance shown by Bayern at both ends of the pitch on the day. Not a single bad performance in sight, making it a good day for the Bavarians.

Here are our talking points from the game:

An interesting decision by Thomas Tuchel to opt for a 4-1-4-1 setup this week.
Why Thomas Muller allows Bayern Munich to make efficient use of space and therefore more dynamic.
Serge Gnabry is playing so well. Should Bayern Munich keep him this summer?
Why Jamal Musiala is being wasted in the middle.
Mathys Tel is the biggest wasted opportunity of the season.
Why Noussair Mazraoui is THE guy at right-back for Bayern.

Madrid eyeing Osimhen (Fichajes via 90Min.com)

Napoli really does not want to sell Victor Osimhen, but for €160 million you can — allegedly — get the striker. Real Madrid will reportedly at least ask to talk about things:

Real Madrid have turned their attention to Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, who could command a fee of over £100m after leading the Italian giants to a first Serie A title in 33 years.

Wirtz not going anywhere just yet (Sport1)

There have been a few rumors citing links between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz, but any move is still at least a year away from happening:

Florian Wirtz found his form again after his serious knee injury and took the next step. The German played a big part in the fact that the Werkself are now fighting for a place in Europe after a bad start to the season and are in the semi-finals of the Europa League.

FC Bayern has Wirtz on the list – as SPORT1 chief reporter Kerry Hau reported last week in the podcast “Die Bayern-Woche”, a transfer would not be realistic until summer 2024 at the earliest.

But what about this summer? Bayer boss Fernando Carro is now putting a stop to any rumors in an interview with AS about a possible change in the summer of 2023: “He will stay with us for the time being. He knows what he has here and how important we are to him and his development. There is interest from several clubs but they know we are not going to sell.”

Bavarian Podcast Works: Preview Show — Bayern Munich vs RB Leipzig (Bavarian Football Works)

With Borussia Dortmund only one point behind Bayern Munich with two games left to play, RB Leipzig are the last team the Bavarians want to face. The Lawnball-based side have not been having a great season this year, but they will be looking for a win to secure Champions League qualification for next season. This is a game that could decide the title race.

Here are our talking points ahead of the game: