Daily Schmankerl: Juventus to compete with Manchester United for Bayern Munich’s Marcel Sabitzer; Real Madrid…

Juve eyeing Sabitzer swipe (We All Follow United)

Juventus could be looking to make a move for Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer.

Sabitzer, of course, is on loan at Manchester United where it seems like both the player and club are looking to extend the relationship:

Juventus ‘will come calling’ for on-loan Manchester United midfielder Marcel Sabitzer next summer. Serie A giants Juventus ‘will come calling’ for on-loan Manchester United star Marcel Sabitzer in the upcoming transfer window, according to Calciomercato (h/t Manchester Evening News).

A bidding war for Sabitzer would not be the worst thing in the world.

Madrid has lofty transfer plans (Sport via 90Min.com)

Real Madrid could be planning a massive haul this summer that includes both Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham and RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol:

Real Madrid are also hopeful of signing Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund, while Josko Gvardiol is another player Los Blancos are looking to sign.

That would be quite a pillaging of the ol’ Farmers League in Germany, eh?

Bayern to get competition for Bitshiabu (Leeds United News)

Leeds United could be set to compete with Bayern Munich for Paris Saint-Germain youngster El Chadaille Bitshiabu:

Leeds United are one of a host of sides monitoring El Chadaille Bitshiabu, with Jeunes Footeux reporting in France that Bayern Munich are also admirers of the Paris Saint-Germain starlet.

It appears that Bitshiabu’s future at Parc des Princes is in a little doubt. The 17-year-old has made a number of appearances for the Ligue 1 side, including five in the top-flight this season.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Preview Show — VfB Stuttgart vs. Bayern Munich (Bavarian Football Works)

On the heels of its huge Bundesliga win over Union Berlin last weekend, Bayern Munich will square off with VfB Stuttgart on Saturday…just days before a massive meeting with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

It would be easy for Bayern Munich to look right past this match, but Julian Nagelsmann will have to do everything he can to prevent that from happening. This is what we have on tap for this episode:

A look at where each team resides in the Bundesliga table and how they have done in recent games.
A couple of VfB Stuttgart players to potentially keep an eye on.
Trying to predict Julian Nagelsmann’s formation and starting XI when factoring in upcoming suspensions, rest days, continuity, etc. (It’s not easy!).
A prediction on the match.

Effenberg says Dortmund now has Bayern mentality (Sport1)

Steffen Effenberg has been a big fan of what he has seen from Borussia Dortmund of late — and he wrote as much for Sport1:

They’ve won 1-0 five times, have kept nine clean sheets – that definitely speaks volumes about their stability. They’ve really found their feet. I also applaud BVB for wins like the one against Hoffenheim. 1-0, dirty, scrappy, you have to push yourself to the limit.

That’s actually the Bayern mentality. Never being satisfied even though you won a game 1-0, but pointing out what you can do better. That’s why they’re a genuine competitor for FC Bayern this year.

Borussia Dortmund is getting hot at the right time. It will fascinating to see if BVB can keep up this pace until the teams meet on April 1st.

Chelsea could lose multiple players (Sport1)

Chelsea FC could be looking at losing several players in the upcoming summer transfer window:

The crisis surrounding coach Graham Potter at Chelsea is getting worse. The club suffered another Premier League defeat against Tottenham at the weekend. You are closer to the relegation zone than to the Champions League places. This could lead to some departures in the summer.

The contracts of England international and Chelsea home-grown Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek expire at the end of next season, so a sale for a fee would only be possible in the summer if the contracts are not extended. Blues midfielder Connor Gallagher, 23, could also be targeted by Premier League rivals. Chelsea will be forced to balance their books, especially if they miss out on international competition.

That means the club will almost certainly have to sell players to comply with strict Financial Fair Play rules following new owner Todd Boehly’s buying spree this summer.

The club have revised their salary structure and are now offering longer contracts. This has helped the club sign big players like Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk for large transfer fees without violating FFP regulations.

One club that would seek to capitalize on Mount being available is Liverpool FC:

Liverpool are already showing keen interest in Mount, according to the Mirror , with Jurgen Klopp planning a major roster refresh at Anfield this summer. However, Chelsea have not given up on keeping the 24-year-old.

Coman, Müller recognized for strong February (@WhoScored)

Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman and Thomas Müller were members of WhoScored.com’s Bundesliga Team of the Month for February:

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 5, Episode 35 (Bavarian Football Works)

After losing to Gladbach last weekend, Bayern Munich have dispatched fellow title challengers Union Berlin with a commanding 3-0 win on a snowy night in Munich. Despite the horrible conditions, Julian Nagelsmann’s men quickly took control of the game and managed to score all three goals on one of the best defensive teams in the Bundesliga before the halftime whistle. The second half was more muted, but Union could not strike back as Bayern managed a statement victory to go back to the top of the table.

In this episode, INNN and Samrin discuss the following:

An overall look at the lineup and formation.
How Matthijs de Ligt has become a defensive rock for Bayern Munich.
The quiet intelligence of Josip Stanisic and what he brings to the team.
INNN vents his frustration about how Alphonso Davies is judged by Bayern fans.
The incredible midfield pairing of Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka plus why it works.
The definitive rant about Thomas Muller and what he brings to the team.
A final note on the attack and attackers — Musiala’s role, Choupo’s excellence, and Coman’s form.
Will Julian Nagelsmann stick with this setup? Should he?
How Nagelsmann’s tinkering hurts Bayern Munich.
Why does the Bundesliga seem harder this year? Are the better European performances a sign of better teams?