Daily Schmankerl: Is FC Barcelona still dreaming of Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich?; Arsenal wants Joao Cancel…

Barca’s hopes for Kimmich fade…or do they? (Planet Sport)

FC Barcelona seems to have legitimate interest in Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich. The problem for the Catalans is that Bayern Munich does not seem all that eager to let the Germany international leave. Either way, this story continues to take turns.

One story indicates that Barca could be giving up hope to get Kimmich:

Barcelona’s pursuit of Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich seems to be fading away, as recent reports suggest that the move is highly unlikely.

Speculations have emerged linking the Spanish club with the 28-year-old midfielder in their search for a replacement for Sergio Busquets, but the chances of securing his signature appear slim.

In addition to Kimmich, another Barcelona target, Ilkay Gundogan, is also set to stay put. Despite initial speculation of a move to Camp Nou, the Manchester City midfielder is reportedly committed to remaining with his current club.

Barcelona’s hopes of bolstering their midfield with these high-profile signings appear to have diminished, leaving them to explore alternative options as the summer transfer window approaches.

However, FC Barcelona manager Xavi briefly touched on the topic on Monday and did not exactly kill the idea:

Felix might seek to join Gunners (Cadena COPE via 90Min.com)

Joao Felix has had a relatively successful loan stint at Chelsea FC and seems to want to stay in England. In fact, the 23-year-old might like to ink a deal with Arsenal FC:

Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix, currently on loan at Chelsea, wants to stay in the Premier League and is interested in joining Arsenal.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — RB Leipzig 3-1 Bayern Munich (Bavarian Football Works)

Well…it happened.

At one point, Bayern Munich looked like a serious contender to capture a treble and now the Bavarians are hoping like hell that Borussia Dortmund will suffer through a horrendous collapse…just to win the league crown.

After dropping a 3-1 decision to RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich is at risk of losing its first Bundesliga title in what seems like…forever.

Let’s take a look at what is on tap for this episode:

A look at the starting XI and some of the odd decisions that Thomas Tuchel made for his 4-2-3-1 alignment.
A run through the box score, including a timeline of how things fell apart.
Thoughts on why the team’s season went down the toilet and why most of it stems from the ill-fated decision to fire Julian Nagelsmann in March and replace him with Tuchel at a totally inopportune time.
Talking through why everything was set up for the perfect storm of organizational failures, poor decisions, ill-fitting players, and an overall tinge of arrogance that led to this mess.

Gunners might have trouble with Cancelo move (Metro)

If Arsenal FC wants Manchester City loanee Joao Cancelo, it will have to convince Pep Guardiola to let him go within the Premier League:

Manchester City could block Arsenal’s push to sign Joao Cancelo as they are interested in a swap deal with Bayern Munich, according to reports.

Cancelo joined Bayern in a surprise loan move in the January transfer window and is expected to leave City on a permanent basis in the summer.

However, Bayern are not willing to meet City’s £60 million asking price for the Portugal international, which could open the door for Arsenal to make a move.

Reports have claimed that the Gunners, who conceded defeat to City in the Premier League title race on Saturday with a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, are exploring the possibility of signing Cancelo to strengthen the right side of Mikel Arteta’s defence.

De Jong talks future with Barca (90Min.com)

We saw that Bayern Munich still has FC Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong on its radar, but does not consider the Dutchman to be attainable at this time (quite frankly, Matthijs was probably not attainable either in May of 2022, but here we are). Regardless, it does appear that De Jong wants to continue on with the Catalans:

Speaking to Ziggo Sport Voetbal in his native Netherlands, De Jong opened up on his relationship with Laporta.

“My relationship with the president is good. In reality, it has never been bad,” De Jong said. “Of course, there was this situation last summer, but my relationship with him is good.”

90min understands that Barcelona are confident of agreeing a deal to re-sign Lionel Messi from PSG on a free transfer this summer.

De Jong was asked about the Argentine’s potential return to Camp Nou, replying: “Messi is a fantastic player. It would be amazing if he comes back. But I don’t know if it’s going to happen.”

Elsewhere in the transfer market, sources have told 90min that Barcelona are being kept informed of developments regarding Joshua Kimmich’s Bayern Munich future. The Germany international is considering calling time on his spell in Bavaria.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 2, Episode 45 (Bavarian Football Works)

Another week, another set of Bayern Munich stories to discuss.

The Bavarians stomped Schalke 04 last weekend and we saw some plans for the 2023/24 leaked out this week as well. Knowing all of that, there is plenty to discuss. Let’s take a look at what is on tap for this edition of the Weekend Warm-up Podcast:

A look at the rumors regarding Joshua Kimmich’s rumored position change, his power at Bayern Munich, and the interesting timing of the transfer rumors linking him to Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Manchester City. What does this all mean for Leon Goretzka’s future with the club?
Will Bayern Munich move on Ajax’s Edson Alvarez? What about Chelsea’s Mason Mount and Kai Havertz? Or maybe…West Ham’s Declan Rice? Finally, the latest on Bayern’s interest in Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani.
Some thoughts on the title race and the implications of this weekend.
Should Sadio Mané stay or go? Manchester United, Chelsea FC, Newcastle United, and Juventus might be interested…but he could want to stay.

Lampard details how he wanted Haaland for Chelsea (90Min.com)

When Frank Lampard was at the helm of Chelsea FC during his first tenure as manager, he tried to get the club to sign Erling Haaland. It did not work:

“I coached against him in a pre-season game when he was playing for Salzburg. I tried to sign him for Chelsea and it was not to be. “It was clear in our pre-match preparation what this boy was. Fair play to him. We are going against him and I respect those at the top of their game. I watched the World Cup final with [Kylian] Mbappe and [Lionel] Messi and Haaland has got himself in that bracket at a very young age.”

It was initially put to Lampard that the Norwegian has scored as many Premier League goals this season as Chelsea (36), to which he retorted: “It’s a fantastic stat from him. I know the Chelsea side is another story. I tried to sign him when I was last here. I was really keen to get him here but it couldn’t happen.

“His level was really clear at that point as well. We had played him in a pre-season game at Salzburg and he was fantastic. I love seeing players at that level and with that personality to be the best which he has proven to be.

“I think he is special and thought he would adapt straight away because of his level. I thought because of his record scoring for his country and in Austria that he would come into a good unit already would have been a recipe to help him.

“I did expect that and I have a real respect for the player. I don’t know whether he would have decided to come here anyway but I was a big fan of that [happening].

“People talk about mistakes in football and I don’t know if it was that but I was pushing for him and a few other players. I’m not sure what the appetite was in the club to do it, the competition was big to take him and only he will know [if it was close].”

Tuchel to push for Chelsea youth player move? (The Chelsea Chronicle)

While there is nothing concrete here, it might be something to keep an eye on as Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel is said to be a huge fan of 18-year-old Chelsea FC left-back Lewis Hall:

Reports have claimed that former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was left in awe of Lewis Hall’s technique. According to The Athletic, the crispness of his technique was something that frequently brought him praise from the German. It has been a real breakout season this year for Hall, who looks set to reach the 10 appearance mark despite being only 18.

However, you have to go back to the season before that to find when the teenager was making his debut for the club, as he started against Chesterfield in the FA Cup.

He made his attacking prowess known that day despite starting on the left of a back three. The teenager picked up an assist for Romelu Lukaku, instantly showing what he can do going forwards. This season has seen Hall feature predominantly as a left-back, as injuries have made their presence known in that role.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 5, Episode 46 (Bavarian Football Works)

Well, that was fun while it lasted. Bayern Munich have dropped points to RB Leipzig in shameful fashion, handing the lead in the Bundesliga back to Borussia Dortmund. The league title is practically out of reach, which means Bayern are set to go trophyless for the first time since the 2011/12 season, which was over a decade ago. This has has left people feeling shocked and upset, so we ask some important questions about the future of the club.

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

Who deserves the blame for the season going boom?
INNN and Tom argue about what percentage of blame each party deserves — the board, Nagelsmann, and Tuchel.
What happened to the mentality at Bayern Munich?
What transfers should Bayern make next season? Is a striker enough to tip the scales?
Why moving Joshua Kimmich to the #8 position wreaks havoc on the squad.
What are the two major mistakes that Tuchel MUST NOT repeat next season?
Will a new champion change the perception of the Bundesliga within the wider footballing community?