Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich in pursuit of VfB Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy; Bayern, FC Barcelona. Manchester United battling for Juventus star Adrien Rabiot; Bayern really did check out Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk; and MORE!

According to Bild journalists Christian Falk and Tobi Altschäffl, Bayern Munich has decided to make a formal approach for VfB Stuttgart attacker Serhou Guirassy during the summer:

Bayern have decided to make a summer approach for Serhou Guirassy. Stuttgart are aware of that. The striker has a release clause of around €20m and Bayern don’t want to miss out on what they see as a bargain. The question is whether Guirassy would be willing to join Bayern with Harry Kane at the club.

This move does not appear to make much sense on the surface and seems to add more fuel to the fire that there might be some confusion with the strategic direction of this club’s roster. Bringing in Guirassy would seem to cut the already-scant minutes available for Mathys Tel.

Hoarding established talent? It just does not make sense for this Bayern Munich squad — especially at the striker position.

Bonus conspiracy theory: Maybe Kane is leaving Germany this summer?

Now…I doubt Kane is going anywhere, but that is how little sense this Guirassy move makes.

Over the weekend, Bayern Munich was linked to Argentinian Federico Redondo, but Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg says there was nothing to it:

Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano says Redondo is off to join some other guy from his home land at Inter Miami:

Bayern Munich is traveling to Italy for a showdown with Lazio in the Champions League.

Though the Bavarians should be considered heavy favorites, there is lingering doubt about how the team will react after being shellacked 3-0 by Bayern Leverkusen on Saturday.

Will Bayern Munich respond? Let’s take a look to see if that is in the cards and what else is on tap for this episode:

• A look at Lazio, where it sits in the Serie A table, and why their current 8th place position is not as bad as it looks.
• A look at the recent report stating that Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel wants to instill “self-confidence” and “leadership” into the lineup, rather relying on his own “football ideals.”
• Some thoughts on Bayern Munich’s potential for lineup changes, including what players need to be in the starting XI if the coach is really going to try and change things on the pitch.
• A prediction on the match.

If Bayern Munich wants to bring in Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot this summer, it will have to outduel FC Barcelona and Manchester United:

It is no secret that Barcelona are on the hunt for new midfielders, as they look to shore up their options in the middle of the park. Oriol Romeu has his days numbered at Camp Nou, whereas Frenkie de Jong has once again been linked with a move away from Barcelona in recent weeks.

This has been coupled with Pedri and Gavi’s injury woes, with the latter being ruled out for only the remainder of the campaign but also a chunk of next season. As a result, Barcelona are desperately looking for new faces in the midfield unit. The club have been linked with moves for Aleix Garcia and Joshua Kimmich, among others.

Now, a recent report from Tutto Juve has revealed that Barcelona are among the clubs keeping tabs on Adrien Rabiot. The Frenchman is currently plying his trade for Juventus, but his contract in Turin expires at the end of the season.

That means Rabiot will be available as a free agent in the coming summer, which has put multiple clubs on red alert. Apart from Barcelona, there are multiple other clubs involved in the race to sign the former PSG starlet.

As mentioned earlier, Rabiot’s status as a free agent this summer, coupled with the midfielder’s vast experience at the top level make him an appealing target for European giants. Apart from Barcelona, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are following Rabiot quite closely and want to sign him on a free transfer this summer. Another club interested in Rabiot’s services is Newcastle United. The Magpies are keen on shoring up their options in midfield, with the Frenchman emerging as the ideal solution.

One of the most bizarre rumors at the transfer deadline was Bayern Munich’s interest in Chelsea FC attacker Mykhailo Mudryk. As it turns out, the rumor was true, but the discussions did not take an overly serious turn:

Well, that was an unmitigated disaster. Bayern Munich capitulated against Bayer Leverkusen and succumbed to a 3-0 defeat. Now that the team is five points behind in the title race, will the board take action? Or will they wait until Thomas Tuchel crashes out of the Champions League and slides further down the table before pulling the trigger?

Leverkusen were so much better. It’s incredibly frustrating.

Here are our talking points from the game:

• What was that lineup? Why did Tuchel choose a back three?
• Why bench Thomas Müller in a game like this?
• Thomas Tuchel committed a cardinal sin — he decided to play scared vs Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen.
• Somehow, Thomas Tuchel thinks that he’s still coaching Chelsea FC.
• The stark difference between Leverkusen’s mentality and Bayern’s mentality, from a tactical and strategic standpoint.
• Why was Guerreiro not used at left-back? A potential explanation.
• “Did Nagelsmann do anything like this?”, asks Chuck. INNN proceeds to laugh maniacally.
• Is the Nagelsmann sacking the reason why Tuchel still has his job?
• The absurd karma of Josip Stanisic’s goal, and why it says damning things about Tuchel’s talent ID and squad building.
• Is the board ready to write off the season?
• A defense of the underperformers (Goretzka, Kimmich, Davies, etc.) in this current system.
• The strange phenomenon of non-negotiables — why do Leroy Sané and Jamal Musiala get a free pass, while other players need to prove themselves constantly?
• A final word on the game.

Alphonso Davies to Real Madrid is the Bayern Munich never-ending rumor equivalent of Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid:

Real Madrid will be on the hunt for a new left-back in the summer. The intention is for Ferland Mendy to be sold, with Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies signed as a replacement. The 23-year-old could be available on a cut-price deal, as his contract is set to expire at the end of next season.

However, it won’t be easy for Los Blancos to tie up Davies. Bayern are strongly pushing for a renewal, while Liverpool and Manchester City are also keen on signing the Canadian international this summer.

If Real Madrid are to consider other options, one could be the return to Theo Hernandez, who left the club in 2019 to join AC Milan, where he still plays. The 26-year-old is considered to be one of the best left-backs in the world, if not the best outright. He was asked by Diario AS in regards to a possible move to Los Blancos.

“At Real Madrid I have great friends and fantastic memories of both the club and its fans, but now I’m a Milan player, I feel very good here and I don’t think about other things. I’m totally focused on what I have to do every day with this shirt.

“We never know what life is going to bring, but I live in the present for emotions and professionalism. No one knows the future. There are still a lot of games to play this season with Milan and I’m really just thinking about what I have to do on the pitch.”

Understandably, a diplomatic response from Hernandez. There’s no doubt that he would be a great signing for Real Madrid, but at 26, he may be too old for the club’s transfer policy, especially since Milan would charge a lot for his signature.

The downside of being a very good team is that everyone wants ALL of your players. Bayer Leverkusen is starting to feel that pain:

Manchester United are continuing to monitor Bayer Leverkusen defenders Jeremie Frimpong and Edmond Tapsoba amid the German leaders’ imperious form. Right-back Frimpong and centre-back Tapsoba were shortlisted as potential defensive reinforcements by United last year and Leverkusen are unbeaten in the Bundesliga this season.

IT’S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!

Okay, now that you have Europe cued up, you are officially ready for the massive Bundesliga tilt between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen.

If that is not enough, let’s do a little more talking about the match, plus a lot more on this week’s edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Podcast. Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• There is an excitement and tension building up for Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen.
• Frans Krätzig set off for FK Austrian Wien.
• The rumors linking Bayern Munich to FC Barcelona’s Ronald Araújo could actually be legitimate, while Leroy Sané probably won’t be going to Liverpool.
• Why the emergence of Aleksandar Pavlović matters.
• Sky ran a fan poll to pick Germany’s starting XI…do you agree?

Liverpool could actually try to bring back some players who have been rumored to be on their way out the door:

Liverpool are hopeful that they can renew the contracts of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, according to Football Insider. All three players have contracts that are set to expire in 2025, but the Reds are confident that they will be able to convince the trio to stay if the club shows the right ambition with their plans for the post-Jurgen Klopp era.

FC Barcelona is expected to under a fire sale this summer and some very familiar names will be on the list of players made available:

Barcelona are willing to sell Andreas Christensen, Jules Kounde and Raphinha in an attempt to bring their wage bill down.

Bayern Munich’s title hopes this season took a major hit and morale could be at an all-time low under Thomas Tuchel.

So…now what?

Bayern Munich needs to regroup and figure things out ahead of its midweek match against Lazio in the Champions League and a Bundesliga tilt vs. VfL Bochum. What we can we expect? Let’s discuss:

• How Bayern Munich can start to fix things, but there is a risk that some parts of this squad are beyond repair.
• It is time for Tuchel to re-think this strategy in using Harry Kane.
• Is a rebound against Lazio in the works? Yes, but if the Bavarians fail, it will tell us all we need to know about this team’s mentality under Thomas Tuchel.
• Thomas Müller is proving he is the ultimate company man this season (in a good way).
• Why would Matthijs de Ligt want to hang around Bavaria under a coach, who has no use for him?