Daily Schmankerl: Manchester City could be dead serious on double swoop of Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz; VfB Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeneß to replace Xabi Alonso?; Does Alphonso Davies prefer FC Barcelona?; and MORE!

There have been some whispers that Manchester City is eager to bring in both Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala and Bayer Leverkusen ace Florian Wirtz during the summer. While it does seem extremely unlikely, City could be shedding enough high-priced talent from its roster to make things work financially:

Man City are plotting deals to sign German superstar duo Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, sources have told Football Insider. Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke revealed that Pep Guardiola’s side are lining up the two big-name stars as potential replacements for Kevin de Bruyne.

Football Insider revealed on 2 November that City are set to step up their efforts to sign a high-profile replacement for the midfielder, with the Bundesliga stars at the top of their list.

Musiala and Wirtz, both 21 years old, have attracted interest in elite sides from across Europe including Real Madrid, and City are expected to push hard to convince them to move to England.

The former is said to have been on their radar for a long time, and sources say they will do “everything they possibly can” to bring him to the Etihad. However, as Football Insider revealed in October, Bayern Munich remain the favourites to land a deal for Wirtz after his performances for Bayer Leverkusen.

As even stated in the Football Insider story, it seems like Bayern Munich is far more likely to have both players next summer, but nothing is set in concrete for either Musiala or Wirtz. In any event, it seems like Musiala and Bayern Munich are getting very close to a deal. As for Wirtz, it is tough to say how his situation might play out, but it has been reported many times that Bayern Munich is likely the favorite.

Even with Bayer Leverkusen not being as good as it was last season, Xabi Alonso is still considered to be one of the top coaches in all of Europe, That said, there is expected to be a strong push from any major club with a job opening next summer to go after Alonso.

Even clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester City have Alonso high on their respective list of candidates should their current coaches (Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola) actually step away.

Should Alonso leave, VfB Stuttgart boss Sebastian Hoeneß is — allegedly — going to Bayer Leverkusen’s top target:

⚫️ As revealed two weeks ago, Sebastian #Hoeneß is one of the top candidates for Bayer 04 Leverkusen should Xabi #Alonso leave the club next summer!

Hoeneß has a release clause, as his agent and father, Dieter Hoeneß, already confirmed.

⚠️ Understand the amount is 7-8 million euros for a transfer within the Bundesliga or to the Premier League!

Bayern Munich is red hot, but has a challenge this week as it prepares to face off with Benfica in the Champions League.

While that topic along could carry a whole show, Bayern Munich also found out that it will play Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal’s Round of 16 — which ensures one of Germany’s top teams will be going home early.

Needless to say, we have a lot to talk about, so let’s get to it. Here is what we have on tap for the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show:

• A quick synopsis of where things stand for both Bayern Munich and Benfica.
• A look at Bayern Munich’s potential starting XI.
• A prediction on the Champions League.
• Why Bayern Munich could be in trouble against Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal — and why Xabi Alonso might be ready to unveil something special to stp Bayern.
• Where things stand on the contract situations for Jamal Musiala, Joshua Kimmich, Leroy Sane, and Alphonso Davies…and what if all four are re-upped? Will the team be better or worse for it? Let’s talk about whether or not all four should be back.

According to one report, Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies could be starting to favor FC Barcelona over Real Madrid for a move next summer:

Bayern Munich full-back Alphonso Davies, out of contract next summer, would prefer to join Barcelona over Real Madrid.

It still feels like Real Madrid will ultimately be the landing spot for Davies, but Barca does offer Hansi Flick, who played a massive role in unlocking the potential of Davies. In the end, it will likely come down to money — and how the current battle for the marquee plays out in Madrid. While Davies would not necessarily be considered a threat to players like Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, and Vinicius Jr., that concoction of players could be combustible for team chemistry.

Saying that now, they will probably end up winning the Champions League anyway…

Like many transfers have found out in the past, sometimes the grass is not always greener. Randal Kolo Muani could already be looking to leave Paris Saint-Germain after making the move there from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2023:

A transfer of Randal Kolo Muani in the upcoming winter transfer window is no longer ruled out!

#PSG and the 25 y/o striker are open to options where he can get regular playing time. Understand there are already several requests for a loan with an option to buy, especially from the Premier League.

In the 1-0 win against Lens on Saturday, he spent 90 minutes on the bench. His contract runs until 2028.

Bayern Munich is back and looking powerful, but can it last? A lot of that will depend on how the team continues to come together over the course of this season.

Given that, there are several key issues that could play out in the coming weeks, which could affect some lineup decisions. Let’s talk about all of that and more:

• Jamal Musiala seems more likely to extend his contract than ever. What does this mean for the squad planning process moving forward?
• If Leroy Sané is eventually unhappy at Bayern Munich this season, it looks like he will have the chance to skip town pretty easily.
• Are we witnessing the final months of Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer at Bayern Munich?
• The Entertainment Rundown.

Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Kingsley Coman were recognized for their efforts during the team’s 3-0 win over Union Berlin:

In addition, kicker (via @iMiaSanMia), also acknowledged the duo:

Rumors are swirling all over about the future of Liverpool FC defender Virgil van Dijk. However, the Dutchman will not be making a decision until the end of the season on what might be next:

Virgil van Dijk said he will put his Liverpool future on hold until the end of the season and “enjoy the ride” of the Premier League title race after helping Arne Slot’s team to a 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates.

Liverpool moved to within a point of defending champions and league leaders Manchester City by twice fighting back from a goal behind to emerge with a point against the Gunners.

Van Dijk, Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all out of contract at Anfield at the end of the season with each still to sign a new deal.

And speaking after the game at the Emirates, Van Dijk said he is in no rush to negotiate a new contract at the club.

“I’m very calm,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports. “Let’s see what happens towards the end of the season.

“I’m enjoying my football, physically and mentally. Keep enjoying the game because it’s a beautiful game that we play and I play.”

Bayern Munich thrashed Union Berlin 3-0 in the Bundesliga.

The match was never really close as the Bavarians imposed their will on Union Berlin from the outset of the match. Powered by a staunch defense and a relentless attack, Bayern Munich was able to stamp out any threat from Union Berlin and keep the vaunted defense from the visitors on their heels for the entirety of the match.

Here is what we have on tap for the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show:

• A look at the starting XI.
• A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
• Scoring one goal completely deflated Union Berlin.
• Where does Bayern Munich go from here?