Daily Schmankerl: Manchester City fed up with losing, plotting blockbuster move for Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala?; Leroy Sané to focus on FC Barcelona move?; Chelsea wants BVB’s Gregor Kobel; Liverpool eyeing PSG’s Randal Kolo Muani; and MORE!

Desperate times might call for desperate measures at Manchester City.

With the team’s performance mired in a downward spiral and facing the potential loss of key players during the summer, former Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola could be plotting a massive move to shake-up the complacency that has seeped into his team — by hotly pursuing Jamal Musiala.

The move would likely be contingent on whatever Kevin De Bruyne says is next for his career:

Something has got to change at Man City to reverse the current slide, and it seems that their pursuit of Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala is dependant on the sale of Kevin De Bruyne. Pep Guardiola saw his Premier League champions stumble again on Boxing Day, this time against Everton, and with the January transfer window just about to open, Man City need to be one of the busier sides in the new year. There are already rumours that City are chasing another attacker too.

City need to freshen up their squad, and CaughtOffside sources suggest that the club could even make an incredible splash by procuring Jamal Musiala from Bayern Munich. It’s understood that Bayern Munich sporting director, Max Eberl, has confirmed that contract extension talks with Musiala are ongoing, but CaughtOffside sources state that City and the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid and PSG are all considering whether to make a move for the young star in January.

Given that Bayern are known to be offering the player a gross salary of €25m per year and would want between €170m-€180m in terms of a transfer fee, Musiala is clearly not going to come cheaply. Sources have further advanced that City’s scouts have been sent to the Allianz Arena on many occasions this season to specifically watch Musiala in action. Due to the expiration of Kevin De Bruyne‘s contract, it’s believed that club insiders want Musiala to replace the Belgian. Whilst the player has openly expressed his dream of playing in the Premier League, Bayern are still making serious efforts to keep hold of their brilliant young talent.

Musiala seems set to extend with Bayern Munich, but if there is any club that could afford a monster salary and a ludicrous transfer fee, it is Manchester City.

It still feels like Leroy Sané might want to stay with Bayern Munich, but the prospect of taking a pay cut and maybe playing second-fiddle to Michael Olise could be less-than-appealing to the Germany international.

All of that could have Sané re-thinking his position in Bavaria and contemplating a move to FC Barcelona — a rumor which seems to be gaining steam:

Leroy Sane is one of many Bayern Munich players who are facing an uncertain future in Bavaria as 2024 nears its end.

As uncertainty over his future drags on, many expect Sane to leave Bayern Munich on a free transfer next summer. However, despite interest from top English clubs, it appears there is a chance Sane might end up at Barcelona next season.

That is according to Mundo Deportivo, which suggests Sane is prioritising a move to Barcelona, as he looks to take the next step in his career. Sane believes Camp Nou could be an ideal destination for his development, especially after a couple of barren years at Bayern Munich, where his growth was stunted.

This comes at a time when Sane has been courted by the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United. Barcelona, for their part, have been looking for a new winger for quite some time now. They have been linked with a move for top summer target Nico Williams.

Leroy Sane, to that end, could prove to be a cost-effective alternative, though it must be noted that the German hasn’t truly lived up to his expectations at Bayern. Not to mention, the German may command a hefty salary, which could disrupt Barcelona’s new wage structure. Keeping that in mind, it remains doubtful whether or not Barça will be interested in making a move for the forward this summer.

The Winterpause allows us some time to reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly from the first half of the season for Bayern Munich.

In this three-part series for Bavarian Podcast Works, we will breakdown each position group — Attack, Midfield, Defense — discuss each player and provide rating for how we feel they have played so far this season.

Chuck and Samrin break down the midfield group. Here is some of what the duo discussed on the show:

• The value of Joshua Kimmich.
• The promise of Aleksandar Pavlović.
• The underrated performances of Leon Goretzka and Konrad Laimer.
• The uncertainty surrounding where João Palhinha might fit into this midfield in the short-term and the long-term.
• Ratings on each of the players.

Former Heidenheim star Jan-Niklas Beste could be on his way back from Benfica:

Jan-Niklas #Beste is on RB Leipzig’s winter transfer list.

Initial contact was made shortly before Christmas. It’s in an early stage but has the potential to develop further. A possible model: loan with a purchase option. First call LVZ.

@CPFC, also interested in the 25 y/o winger from SL Benfica.

@philipphinze24 @_dennisbayer @SkySportDE

Beste is not exactly lighting it up for Benfica (two, goals, two assists in 19 games across all competitions), but he does still have some value as a left-sided player, who can function as a wing, midfielder, left-back, or wing-back.

Maybe a move back to Germany would be a good move?

It sounds like Liverpool FC could be doing its homework on Paris Saint-Germain attacker Randal Kolo Muani:

Liverpool have “gathered information” about Randal Kolo Muani, who is set to leave PSG in January, as per Florian Plettenberg. The report suggests there’s a “strong chance” that Kolo Muani will move to the Premier League next month, having failed to impress in Ligue 1 this season. The 26-year-old striker is also attracting interest from Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and RB Leipzig. In addition, a report from The Standard this week claimed that Kolo Muani could be offered to Arsenal in January, following Bukayo Saka’s recent injury setback.

Bayern Munich is on break, but there is still a lot to chat about — particularly with some of the rumors that we have heard this week. However, there was one topic being bandied about on social media that captured our attention — the trends of behavior with Bayern Munich fans and why being a supporter is a little more complex these days. Let get into all of that. This is what we have on tap:

• Bayern Munich’s recent run of instability has caused fans to act differently, but that is natural after so much change.
• Nico Williams? Jamie Gittens? Should Bayern Munich be willing to drop a lot of money on these players?
• If Nestory Irankunda wants a loan, Bayern Munich should oblige.
• A brief Entertainment Rundown as we tackle Happy Gilmore 2’s 2025 release (we are hoping it’s good!).

Borussia Dortmund star Gregor Kobel has been a name linked to Bayern Munich as a potential successor to Manuel Neuer. Chelsea FC, however, could beat the Bavarians to the punch:

Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel is attracting interest from Chelsea, according to Florian Plettenberg. The Blues are reported to be interested in signing the Switzerland international, 27, despite having nine goalkeepers already at the club (most of whom are on loan elsewhere): Robert Sánchez, Filip Jorgensen, Marcus Bettinelli, Djordje Petrovic, Lucas Bergstrom, Eddie Beach, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Gabriel Slonina, alongside Genk’s Mike Penders who will arrive in the summer.

Atlético Madrid and FC Barcelona are both said to have interest in Manchester United attacker Marcus Rashford:

Atlético Madrid and Barcelona are both interested in Manchester United’s wantaway star Marcus Rashford, with each Spanish giant mulling over his €65m (£54m) price tag.