Daily Schmankerl: Tottenham Hotspur wants as much as €20M+ more than Bayern Munich wants to pay for Harry Kane…

Spurs want hefty nine figure proposal for Kane (The Mirror via @iMiaSanMia)

According to The Mirror’s Simon Mullock, Bayern Munich is willing to break the bank to get Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane — however, the Premier League club’s price tag on Kane still far exceeds what the Bavarians are comfortable shelling out:

The word from Munich is that while Bayern are prepared to shatter their current €80m transfer record for Harry Kane, Tottenham’s valuation (over £100m/€113m) is too rich. Bayern are reluctant to get involved in a bidding war with Manchester United for Kane.

Göz Atın

Change of plans? Bayern Munich’s latest striker pursuit ventures off what was expected

Daily Schmankerl: Why is there so much drama with Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies these days?; Manchester City…

Report: Bayern Munich could best Liverpool, Newcastle United for Juventus star and Euro 2020 hero Federico Chi…

So…where does Bayern Munich go from here to get a striker for next season? Frankfurt apparently:

Bayern have already drawn up a Plan B to sign Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani if they can’t land Kane.

I feel like the gamble to go striker-less for 2022/23 backfired in an awful way (and was luckily bailed out somewhat by the emergence of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting), but I am not sold on Kolo Muani just yet — especially if Eintracht Frankfurt’s asking price is also in the nine-figure neighborhood.

Whoever Bayern Munich eventually gets, it has to be a sure thing. There is no time for taking chances on a No. 9 when there is this much talent surrounding the position on the roster.

PSG joins teams eyeing Bellingham (SER Deportivos via 90Min.com)

Paris Saint-Germain has reportedly joined Liverpool FC, Manchester City, and Real Madrid as clubs readying to make an offer for Borussia Dortmund star midfielder Jude Bellingham:

PSG have joined Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid in the race to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund this summer.

According to Sport, any thoughts that have PSG willing to sell off Kylian Mbappe are incorrect. The club — allegedly — will not consider it before 2024:

While they are now competing for Bellingham’s signature, PSG have informed Real Madrid they have no intention to sell Kylian Mbappe before 2024.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — SC Freiburg 0-1 Bayern Munich (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich and SC Freiburg hooked up again, this time it was in the Bundesliga, but it sure looked and felt a lot like a rehash of what happened on Tuesday.

SC Freiburg was extremely disciplined and Bayern Munich was very disjointed, which led to a shaky 1-0 victory for the Bavarians — thanks to a laser of a goal from Matthijs de Ligt.

Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A rundown of the scoresheet — Bayern Munich’s terrible finishing prevented this game from being a blowout on the scoreboard.
• A look at the lineup, what changed for Thomas Tuchel, and some thoughts on why he might have made the changes (Dayot Upamecano was suspended, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting was hurt, and some other benching that were probably deserved).
• Is Jamal Musiala getting Scottie Jetpacks’d? (Deep cut you might want to hear).
• De Ligt was the savior.
• The near brawl at the end whistle and where to go from here.

BVB to give Brandt extension? (talkSPORT)

Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur have been kicking the tires on Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Brandt, but it looks like BVB could be ready to offer the Germany international a contract extension:

Borussia Dortmund have reportedly offered a contract extension to attacking midfielder Julian Brandt. The news will come as a blow to Premier League rivals Arsenal and Tottenham, who have both been keeping tabs on the German’s situation.

Brandt has enjoyed a fine season so far – chipping in with nine goals and five assists in 34 games in all competitions. His efforts for the Bundesliga side could be set to be rewarded, with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano stating he has been offered the chance to extend his contract.

The 26-year-old‘s current deal expires in 2024, with Dortmund keen to avoid a ‘dangerous’ situation. Discussions are still taking place over the length of his contract and his salary at Signal Iduna Park.

Reports in March said that Arsenal and Spurs were eyeing up a move for Brandt in the summer. The player himself is said to be open to a switch to the Premier League, with a London club his preference should he depart Dortmund.

Not bad for a farmer (@FabrizioRomano)

Well, things are not going so poorly for Erling Haaland in the Premier League this season:

Haaland is certain to draw a lot of attention from Bayern Munich’s defenders on Tuesday in the Champions League.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 2, Episode 39 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich and SC Freiburg are turning into a Rocky-type franchise at this point.

The teams battled in the DFB-Pokal and will now carry the fracas over to the Bundesliga in what amounts to a very key game for Bayern Munich’s title hopes. That game, however, is just one of several talking points to emerge from this week.

Let’s dig in. This is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A preview of the Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and SC Freiburg. Tensions should be high after Freiburg’s upset win in the DFB-Pokal on Tuesday.
• The terrible optics of Thomas Tuchel’s decision to start Joao Cancelo against SC Freiburg.
• Reports say Tuchel wants a new striker.
• Why Tuchel’s job is going to get a lot harder in the coming days and weeks.

United, Chelsea, Madrid all eager for Gvardiol move (The Hard Tackle)

Manchester United, Chelsea FC, and Real Madrid are all — allegedly — ready to pony up nine figures for RB Leipzig center-back Josko Gvardiol:

Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid are ready to break the bank to acquire the services of Josko Gvardiol.

As reported by Fichajes, Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid are willing to pay €100 million for Josko Gvardiol. All three clubs have been linked with the RB Leipzig defender for a while now. And, as per the report, they are all set to break the bank for the 21-year-old.

Gunners eyeing Baku (Caught Offside)

One player who zoomed on to — and subsequently off of — both Bayern Munich and Germany’s roster radar is Wolfsburg right-back Ridle Baku. Now, Arsenal FC could be looking to bring in Baku:

Christian Falk has exclusively revealed in his latest Fact Files for CaughtOffside that Arsenal ‘are interested’ in Wolsburg’s Ridle Baku, though will face competition from two clubs for his signature this summer.

“Ridle Baku of Wolfsburg got the call from Arsenal. The Gunners are interested in the German player who can play right-back and right-wing,” the Bundesliga journalist wrote. “But they’re not alone in their interest, as Chelsea made a call themselves during the winter window. Villarreal also want to make a bid this summer.”

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 5, Episode 40 (Bavarian Football Works)

There’s never a dull moment at Bayern Munich (unless you watched the first half of Saturday’s game versus Freiburg). This week could be crucial for the outcome of the entire season as the club gear up to face Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League quarter finals. After the coaching shakeup and the elimination from the Pokal last week, confidence seems to be at an all time low at the BFW podcasting department.

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

• Establishing the tone (not positive) for the rest of the podcast.
• How should Thomas Tuchel line up his team against Manchester City?
• Which duels will be key for Bayern vs City? Davies, Haaland, Upa, etc.
• An outside-the-box solution to the striker problem due to Choupo’s absence.
• How will Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka set up versus Rodri, Gundogan, and the like?
• Why a counterattacking approach could be the best and worst option for Bayern Munich.
• Why starting Joao Cancelo against his former team may not be the best idea.
• Finally talking about Sadio Mane and the source of his problems at Bayern.
• Harsh criticism of the board’s transfer policy and their “support” of Julian Nagelsmann.
• Comparing the squad construction in offense vs defense and the huge mismatch between the two.
• Does Bayern Munich need to sign a new striker in the summer? Who’s available? Kane, Kolo Muani, Vlahovic, etc.
• Signing off in an attempt to be positive for once.