Daily Schmankerl — The ones that got away edition: Arsenal flubs Declan Rice bid; Manchester United gives up o…

Gunners shoot blanks on first Rice offer (90Min.com)

Bayern Munich might be out of the running for West Ham’s Declan Rice, but it does not mean things are all going smoothly for Arsenal FC.

The Gunners sent a low-ball offer to West Ham to start off negotiations (typically not the worst tactic), but it could backfire if Manchester City, Manchester United, or Chelsea believe they have an opportunity to drop in for the steal:

West Ham United have rejected Arsenal’s first offer for captain Declan Rice, 90min understands, but talks will continue between the two clubs.

The Hammers have been anticipating bids to come in for Rice in the aftermath of their Europa Conference League win over Fiorentina, with their negotiating position clear – an offer worth at least £100m will need to come in for a deal to be agreed.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United are all interested in signing Rice and chairman David Sullivan recently confirmed that the club had reluctantly agreed to let the 24-year-old go.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have been seen as frontrunners for Rice and 90min revealed on Tuesday that the club had intimated a willingness to offer West Ham their asking price. But sources have confirmed that the first bid put forward was worth just £80m with £10m in add-ons, which has swiftly been rejected by West Ham.

Indeed, the Hammers are mystified and surprised by the value of Arsenal’s bid given they’ve made their stance on Rice’s price abundantly clear.

Bayern Munich was seemingly ready to go in hard and fast with its offer, but Rice wants to stay in England…so that is all water under the bridge at this point.

Arsenal is expected to improve its offer to West Ham shortly.

LFC looking likely to let Thiago walk (The Athletic via 90Min.com)

Liverpool FC…you thought Thiago was going to stay healthy?

It appears so, but now Jurgen Klopp’s club might be tired of only having the crafty Spaniard available for some of the time:

Liverpool are unlikely to offer Thiago a new contract next summer following the conclusion of his current deal. The Spaniard has been plagued with a number of injuries since joining from Bayern Munich.

I’ve said it before…it would not be the worst idea for Bayern Munich — if you can get a club-friendly deal and you are not necessarily counting on him to play all the time.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Podcast: Season 2, Episode 49 (Bavarian Football Works)

The summer transfer window has not even opened yet, but things are wild at Bayern Munich. There is plenty to discuss, so let’s get right to it. This is what we have on tap for this episode:

RIP to Bayern Munich’s hopes for Declan Rice and maybe Dušan Vlahović.
Is Joshua Kimmich driving his teammates crazy with his on-field antics and backroom politics?
Bayern Munich is losing Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard. Dayot Upamecano and Noussair Mazraoui are rumored to be unhappy. Even Alphonso Davies’ contract extension went from “sure thing” to “uh-oh.” What can the Bavarians do…let’s look at the options — and there are plenty of good ones at center-back (maybe even some who can unseat Upamecano or De Ligt).

United gives up on Kane (@FabrizioRomano)

Manchester United did something that Bayern Munich should have done six months ago — realize that neither Harry Kane, nor Tottenham Hotspur have interest in parting ways right now.

Kane is chasing the Premier League goal-scoring record at a club where he is extremely comfortable and Tottenham would be stupid to get rid of one of the top five strikers in the world (think about what that squad might look like without Kane!):

It just appears that Kane and Tottenham Hotspur are made for each other…and that’s okay.

De Jong, Fati, Raphinha available? (Sport via 90Min.com)

FC Barcelona is still in a financial bind and could be looking for a way.

Sport is reporting that the Catalans needs to shed some payroll and on-again, off-again Bayern Munich transfer target Frenkie de Jong could be available. It is not just De Jong, though, Ansu Fati and Raphinha — who both drew interest from Bayern Munich at different points — could also be on the chopping block:

Barcelona could show Frenkie de Jong, Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres, Raphinha and Nico Gonzalez the exit door this summer in a desperate bid to balance their books.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 5, Episode 49 (Bavarian Football Works)

You want to talk Bayern Munich and Germany? We’ve got you covered.

Bayern Munich is in the middle of about a million transfer rumors and is looking to add — at least — three key players this summer. Germany is in the throes of trying to figure out who it is as a national team and is facing three opponents in friendlies over the next week.

Indeed, there is much to yack about when it comes to some of your favorite topics. Here is what is on tap for this episode of the Bavarian Podcast Works Flagship Show:

A look at Germany’s squad for the slate of matches during this international session.
Why Hansi Flick is towing a fine line between job security and getting sacked.
What could go right for Germany.
Why some German linchpins might be out of luck moving forward.
How the summer transfer window could turn out disastrous for Bayern Munich. What if Bayern Munich doesn’t get any of the big name players that it wants?

LFC could go after cut-rate Chiesa (Calciomercatoweb via 90Min.com)

Maybe…this one still won’t get away from Bayern Munich, but the German club has not shown any initiative to really chase Juventus Federico Chiesa just yet. Instead, Liverpool FC might try to swoop in for a bargain buy:

On Liverpool’s radar is Juventus winger Federico Chiesa, who is set to be the subject of a cut-price €35m bid.

Koch to United? (@Plettigoal)

Leeds United star Robin Koch does not appear to be on the national team radar any longer, but the 26-year-old has reportedly caught the attention of Manchester United:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Germany 3-3 Ukraine (Bavarian Football Works)

Well, that was close. Germany narrowly avoided defeat to the mighty Ukraine despite playing at home and going up 1-0 early in the game. Hansi Flick tested out a back three and it reaped dividends, only not for the team that it was intended to. Germany seem like they have a million problems and a lot of them will be familiar to fans of Bayern Munich, but also brand new ones that are unique to the international setup.

Here are our talking points from the game:

The back three doesn’t work — please stop using it, Hansi.
Did Joshua Kimmich use Lewandowski’s stutter-step penalty technique?
The horrible state of the German fullback roster. Should Kimmich be sent back to the flanks?
A concerning lack of chances created by the German attack. The missing factor is left as an exercise for the listener.
Leon Goretzka is being unfairly maligned for his performance.
Does Hansi Flick see Kai Havertz as an alternative to Niclas Fullkrug at striker?
You cannot trust a Borussia Dortmund player on the national team.
A suggestion for what kind of lineup Germany should use at the Euros.

Even Chelsea thinks Osimhen is overpriced (Evening Standard)

Chelsea could pass on Napoli’s Victor Osimhen because of Napoli’s absurd asking price:

Chelsea have stepped up their search for a new striker and held talks over a move for Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson. The Blues want to bolster their frontline for new head coach Mauricio Pochettino and have identified 21-year-old Senegal international Jackson as a summer target.

He is set to be available for around £30million this summer, making him a cheaper alternative to £100m-rated Napoli striker Victor Osimhen. Chelsea know it will not be easy to get Osimhen out of Napoli, who do not want to sell the Nigerian after he led them to the Serie A title this season.

Atalanta forward Rasmus Højlund and Juventus frontman Dušan Vlahović are regarded as alternative options by Chelsea. Both players are valued at more than £65m by their Italian clubs.

Osimhen, Højlund, and Vlahović are all players that Bayern Munich reportedly had at least some interest in, but all have varying price tags and skill-sets. Chelsea opting for an alternative like Jackson would at least take them out of the race for those other players (even if it appears that Osimhen — and maybe Vlahović may no longer be on Bayern Munich’s wish list).

Perišić next player to leave for Saudi league? (Ben Jacobs via 90Min.com)

Former Bayern Munich winger Ivan Perišić could be on his way to Saudi Arabia:

Ivan Perišić is the latest Premier League player attracting interest from the Saudi Pro League. Al Hilal are keen on the wing-back and two Turkish clubs are also chasing the Croatian.