Daily Schmankerl: Borussia Dortmund likely to miss on Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sané, but could chase Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford; Napoli to make move for Liverpool’s Federico Chiesa?; Arsenal still wants Kingsley Coman; and MORE!

Borussia Dortmund has kicked around a pursuit of Bayern Munich star Leroy Sané, but the Black and Yellows faced a couple of obstacles.

First, Sané’s salary would be too great for Dortmund to handle (whether it is just too much for the budget threshold or BVB feels Sané’s production does not meet the hefty salary is up for debate), but second — and this is interesting — if the Germany international opts to leave Bayern Munich, he wants to play somewhere not in Germany:

Leroy Sané’s name was briefly discussed at Borussia Dortmund. However, two reasons made any potential move unattainable. Firstly, BVB cannot afford Sané’s salary of around €20m/year. Secondly, the player himself has decided not to stay in the Bundesliga should he leave Bayern.

It is really tough to discern whether or not Bayern Munich is really done with Sané or if they are just shaking him down to a bottomline number that he will accept. Despite recent reports, it feels like Bayern Munich really just wants to get Sané down to something that matches his production level and consistency.

If BVB cannot get Leroy Sané, maybe it already has its next potential target. Borussia Dortmund could be battling Paris Saint-Germain for Manchester United attacker Marcus Rashford (who has also been loosely linked to Bayern Munich):

⚫️ Borussia Dortmund exploring deal to sign Marcus #Rashford. Confirmed after

@TheAthletic. #BVB have the idea of a loan deal as the 27 y/o can leave Manchester United in winter transfer window as revealed. #MUFC

The chances of a #BVB success are currently considered low. Milan and Juventus, also involved.

Bayern Munich will travel to Borussia Mönchengladbach for a Bundesliga showdown — against a traditional bogey team (at least in recent years) — in hopes of retaining their stronghold atop the league table.

Bayern Munich will be looking to build off of the strong performances against RB Leipzig at the end of the Hinrunde and vs. Red Bull Salzburg in a friendly earlier this week. Let’s talk about all of that and more on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show. This is what we have on tap:

• A look at the recent form of each team and where they fall in the Bundesliga table.
• A look at the rosters and injuries for RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich.
• A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI.
• A prediction on the match.

Napoli wants to bring Federico Chiesa back to Italy:

Napoli will make an opening offer to sign Federico Chiesa on loan from Liverpool until the end of the season. Fiorentina and Internazionale are among the other Serie A clubs who have been interested in him.

If Chiesa were to move, it would have to be a full transfer, not a loan per Scores365 (as captured by 90Min.com):

Liverpool have no intention of loaning Federico Chiesa to Napoli despite speculation to the contrary.

VfB Stuttgart brought in rumored transfer target Jacob Bruun Larsen:

The Hoffenheim attacker could be an interesting acquisition for Sebastian Hoeneß. The club later made the announcement official:

VfB signs Jacob Bruun Larsen.

The Danish international moves from TSG Hoffenheim to Stuttgart and receives a contract until 2027.

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

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

Chuck and Samrin break down Vincent Kompany Here is some of what the duo discussed on the show:

• A look at how Kompany has adjusted to life on Säbener Straße.
• How Kompany’s tactics have succeed — and struggled — at various points during the first half of the season.
• Taking a gander at how Vincent Kompany has dealt with man-management. Has he won the locker room over, but struggled with rotations? Find out.

Arsenal FC still likes Kingsley Coman as a potential stop-gap replacement for Bukayo Saka:

Arsenal could make a January move to sign Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman following the lengthy injury sustained by Bukayo Saka, according to Football Insider. The 26-year-old has a contract that keeps him in Bavaria until 2027, but has started just six of his club’s 15 Bundesliga matches so far this term.

Julian Draxler signed a new deal with Al-Ahli through 2028:

Julian #Draxler has signed a new contract with Al-Ahli SC until 2028 ✔️

It’s all done and sealed. The 31-year-old 2014 World Cup winner has rejected all other offers. A departure was never an issue. Draxler feels very comfortable at the club and in the country. Now comes the new top contract.

6 goals and 6 assists this Stars League season yet.

Bayern Munich travelled to Salzburg to take on the local Red Bull outfit for a friendly — and the Bavarians took full advantage of the home side’s hospitality for a 6-0 victory.

Bayern Munich was strong from start to finish and only had to thwart minor, pesky spells of relevance from Red Bull Salzburg until the regulars took to their warm and cozy spots on the bench in favor of the reserves.

Let’s talk about how it all went down and more on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show. This is what we have on tap:

• A look at the starting XI and what was surprising.
• A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
• Bayern Munich used the preparation wisely and actually looked good in dispatching Red Bull Salzburg.
• Some final thoughts and takeaways on the match.

If any clubs wants to buy FC Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde (loosely linked to Bayern Munich at one point), it will take €55 million to get him:

An offer of €55m (£45.6m) would be enough to convince Barcelona to sell left-back Alejandro Balde.

Dušan Vlahović is reportedly being offered to Chelsea FC, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur by Juventus:

Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic has been offered to Chelsea, Man Utd and Tottenham Hotspur as the Serie A side prepare to make him available for transfer.

Bayern Munich is back in action this week, but what should fans expect from the group by the end of the season? One trophy? Two? None?????

That is one of the hot topics we discuss on this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works Show. This is what we have on tap for this episode:

• Expectations for the second half of the season and what we can reasonably expect Bayern Munich to win — if anything — this season. Also, who poses the biggest threat to Bayern Munich in the league? You might already know…
• Bayern Munich is dealing with a multitude of contracts issues, including talks with several key players (some of whom would be considered major parts of the foundation for the future). The potential for distraction is real for a lot of the players…will it affect Bayern Munich?
• Per Sport Bild, Bayern Munich is staying closely involved on Florian Wirtz’s negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen. Is waiting until 2026 for Wirtz a smart move — or will it have an effect on Bayern Munich’s long-term squad planning?