Daily Schmankerl: Erik ten Hag would want FC Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong at Bayern Munich; Bayern eyeing Barca center-back; Bayern, Newcastle to battle for Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko; Real Madrid scoping Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva; and MORE!

Like it or not, as his struggles grow at Manchester United, Erik ten Hag’s potential to be the next Bayern Munich also grows.

If the Dutchman is hired in Bavaria, he will want to bring FC Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong to Germany. De Jong has been linked to Bayern Munich several times in recent months and has been a longtime transfer target of the club:

Frenkie de Jong’s future at Barcelona has been a hot topic for some time now. And the speculation could swim to new proportions this summer, as Barça finally look to get rid of the Dutchman, in a desperate attempt to bring in substantial revenue.

De Jong, for his part, should have no shortage of suitors. The former Ajax starlet, in fact, has been recently linked with a move to Bayern Munich, who are on the hunt for new midfielders this summer.

De Jong’s move to Bayern could solidify further as Bayern are closing in on the capture of Erik ten Hag as their new head coach next season, reports Diario SPORT. Ten Hag, the coach who oversaw De Jong’s rise to stardom at Ajax, is reportedly a strong candidate to replace the outgoing Thomas Tuchel at Bayern.

If appointed, one of Ten Hag’s first orders of business could be a reunion with his former midfield maestro. For Ten Hag, de Jong is a cornerstone of his playing style. Two years ago, while managing United, he heavily pursued de Jong’s signing.

He may have the chance to do so again with Bayern Munich this summer. The Bavarians will have a much better pull than Man United and could easily convince Barcelona to offload their star midfielder this summer.

The Dutchman’s hefty contract until 2026 is a burden on Barca’s finances, and his departure would provide much-needed economic relief.

With the future of Alphonso Davies in flux, Bayern Munich still could have Arsenal FC left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko on it radar:

Arsenal are prepared to sell Oleksandr Zinchenko this summer and could sanction an exit for a fee in the region of £38m. Bayern Munich and Newcastle have been tipped as possible destinations.

It’s finally here…Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid in the Champions League…but now it’s the second leg.

With the tie knotted at 2-2, every second of this match will be hotly contested. Both squads…and both fan bases will be seeking to leave nothing to chance. Real Madrid will hold the mystique in Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, but Bayern Munich will have the drive and desire of needing to salvage what has been a lost season. Can they do it?

Let’s find out. This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show:

• Some thoughts on how Bayern Munich looks coming into the match.
• Updates on the injured Bayern Munich players.
• A guess at Tuchel’s potential starting XI and why this is probably the best unit he can pick for this match-up.
• A prediction on the match.

Bayern Munich is looking to bolster its youth ranks and its options for its first team roster. As such, the club might have identified FC Barcelona defender Mikayil Faye as an interesting option:

Bayern Munich are among the sides keeping an eye on Barcelona centre-back Mikayil Faye, who they hope will struggle for first-team minutes after Pau Cubarsi’s emergence.

Bayern Munich winger Bryan Zaragoza has not had the easiest time since transferring in from Granada, but is making the most of it.

“It’s true that the beginning has been a bit hard, but I already feel good and adapted to the team. Little by little I’m getting opportunities,” said Zaragoza. “For me it is a privilege to be here, at Bayern Munich, to work and play here everyday. There has been a lot of news that is not true, but I’m not aware of what is in the media. I’m looking forward to working, learning the language and adapting as soon as possible to this great team.”

Bayern Munich is coming off a loss to VfB Stuttgart, preparing to leave for Spain to face Real Madrid in the Champions League, dealing with multiple key injuries, assessing its roster for the offseason, and, oh yeah, looking for a new head coach to replace Thomas Tuchel.

That was a mouthful, but also means there is plenty to talk about on this week’s edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works Show. Let’s take a look at what we have on tap for this episode:

• Peeking at those rumors indicating that Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola could consider a return to Bayern Munich.
• Eyeing the injuries and form of Bayern Munich ahead of the Champions League match against Real Madrid.
• Another round of Florian Wirtz rumors…is Bayern Munich planning a major splurge for 2025? If so, what does that mean for Jamal Musiala?

RB Leipzig Xaver Schlager was in the midst of a great season, but suffered a torn ACL:

Of late, FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich have been linked to Manchester City star Bernardo Silva, but what about Real Madrid? It appears that Los Blancos are also interested in Silva:

Real Madrid are interested in signing Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva at the end of the season, when a €50m release clause in his contract will become active.

Bayern Munich traveled to VfB Stuttgart for a Bundesliga match, which was the focus for the weekend, but with a date with Real Madrid in the Champions League on the horizon, things were always going to be dicey for the German Rekordmeister.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel had injuries to account for, worries about wear-and-tear on key players, and just overall how to best keep his team fit for Wednesday’s UCL showdown.

As expected, it was not easy and VfB Stuttgart would come away with a somewhat unlikely 3-1 victory over the Bavarians. There is plenty to discuss, so let’s get down to it on this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works Postgame Show:

• A look at Thomas Tuchel’s starting XI.
• A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
• If this was an audition for Chris Führich, he did well for himself
• Eric Dier’s toughness has helped adjust the mentality of this squad.
• The fall of Alphonso Davies has been drastic — and we took a blowtorch to him. Listen in, you won’t want to miss it.
• Where things stand heading into Bayern Munich’s Champions League showdown with Real Madrid.

Arsenal FC seems to really be contemplating a move for ex-Bayern Munich prospect Joshua Zirkzee:

Arsenal are prepared to offer Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee a five-year contract worth £115,000 a week, though Serie A champions Inter as well as Man Utd and Aston Villa are all keen on a potential transfer.

In addition, Arsenal has been keeping close tabs on Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović for months:

Another option for the Gunners in attack is Juventus and Serbia striker Dušan Vlahović, who has two years remaining on his current contract.

Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund recently took some time to talk about the club’s future at goalkeeper — Alexander Nübel and Daniel Peretz.

“Alex is a very complete goalkeeper and has improved a lot, also with his feet. He played many games in recent years, and you can notice that he exudes confidence and personality in goal. He’s developed really well. With Daniel Peretz, we have a goalkeeper with a lot of perspective and a big potential. And now with Alex Nübel, a goalkeeper who played many games at the highest level and is simply our future. We’re very happy that we’re well equipped in the position,” said Freund.

Yeah, so there is a little bit to talk about with Bayern Munich this week.

I don’t even know we would waste any time with an intro when there is a three-ring circus going on with Bayern Munich’s coaching search, so let’s get right down to business. Here is what we have on tap on for the latest edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:

• Ralf Rangnick has formally rejected a move to Bayern Munich in favor of keeping his life simple. You can’t fault him for that, but now what?
• After the rejections from Rangnick, Xabi Alonso, and Julian Nagelsmann have all said “No” to Bayern Munich, is Hansi Flick the “break glass in case of emergency option.”
• Sebastian Hoeneß has already stiff-armed speculation that he would be a fit, but could it happen?
• Jonathan Tah to Bayern…eh, I don’t know about this one.
• What to watch for in the next round of Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid in the Champions League.