Daily Schmankerl: Liverpool to make strong push for Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich?; Aston Villa to win race on BVB’s Jamie Gittens?; FC Barcelona eyeing Chelsea attacker; Arsenal to try Dani Olmo heist?; and MORE!

Bayern Munich asked star midfielder Joshua Kimmich to let them know by January 5th whether he was going to stay or go.

Well, that deadline has come and gone and Kimmich is no closer to making a decision than he was before the break. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but Bayern Munich might be starting to sweat the situation given offers are expected to roll in from both Spain and England to the Germany international, who will be a free agent after the season.

Liverpool FC is one of those clubs who could be ready to pounce on the chance to get Kimmich:

Premier League giants Liverpool are mulling over signing 29-year-old German utility man Joshua Kimmich this year amid uncertainties surrounding his Bayern Munich future.

According to an update by reputed German journalist Christian Falk, Joshua Kimmich is the subject of interest from Liverpool. The Reds are scouring the market for a right-back and a holding midfielder. So, the Bayern Munich utility man has emerged as a target, although the Bundesliga giants are discussing a new contract with the 29-year-old.

Joshua Kimmich has been on Liverpool’s radar for a long time. The continued interest makes sense, considering Trent Alexander-Arnold faces an uncertain future at Anfield after entering the final six months of his contract. In addition, the academy graduate is a target for Real Madrid.

So, Kimmich is a viable target to reinforce the right-back berth. In addition, the Bayern Munich utility man can be a short-term solution in the middle of the park for Liverpool. However, Christian Falk has not revealed whether the Reds want to sign him this month or wait until the summer transfer window to complete a Bosman move.

With Bayern Munich discussing a new contract with the 29-year-old German international, they will unlikely accept a winter bid for him. So, it will be interesting to see what the future has in store for the player amid his links with Liverpool.

In reality, Kimmich is likely to have many suitors (Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain are also rumored to have interest), so this is likely just one of many clubs who could look to get serious with Kimmich in the coming days and weeks.

Bayern Munich is rumored to have interested in Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens, but Aston Villa could be eager to beat the Bavarians to the punch:

Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens continues to be tracked by Aston Villa, sources have told CaughtOffside.

Those close to the situation have informed us that the winger remains liked by the Villans, though they would need to sell to buy in order to satisfy profit and sustainability rules. Gittens is also liked by Bayern Munich as a possible replacement to Leroy Sane, who still hasn’t agreed a deal with the Bundesliga giants. The German is looking for an exit from his home nation and is believed to be demanding a salary in excess of £18 million.

Bayern Munich is back in action, but there might be more working going on in the boardroom than on the pitch at the moment.

Let’s talk about everything going on, including the big debate — to add a release or not add a release clause to a new contract for Jamal Musiala. This is what we have on tap for this episode of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:

• A quick rundown of Bayern Munich’s latest injury information.
• A release clause could be a potential requirement for Jamal Musiala’s camp and might be holding up his contract extension. Should Bayern Munich give-in and do it…or should it hold strong and not go down what could be a slippery slope for the future.
• Discussing the latest contract updates for Thomas Müller, Leroy Sané, and Joshua Kimmich.
• What are fair deals for Müller and Sané?
• Kimmich is taking a victory lap.
• Is Viktor Gyökeres the “next one”? Bayern Munich might think so.
• No Entertainment Rundown this week (sorry!).

If FC Barcelona cannot find a way to get Dani Olmo registered, it could seek to bring in former RB Leipzig star Christopher Nkunku on loan from Chelsea FC:

If Barcelona fail to register Olmo for the second half of the season, they could explore a loan deal for Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku.

André Silva’s move from Eintracht Frankfurt to RB Leipzig did not go as expected for the striker, who just has not performed to the level expected.

Now, the 29-year-old could be on the move again:

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.

Arsenal FC wants to try to take advantage of the ongoing registration situation for FC Barcelona’s Dan Olmo:

Arsenal are the first Premier League side to have signalled their interest in signing Dani Olmo after Barcelona failed to extend his La Liga registration. Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham have all joined the race.

Arsenal FC is seriously considering a run at FC Barcelona center-back Ronald Araújo:

Arsenal are prepared to challenge Juventus for the signature of Barcelona defender Ronald Araújo, reports Mundo Deportivo. The Gunners willing to make a move for the 25-year-old Uruguay international in this transfer window, hoping to persuade the Blaugrana to part ways with a significant offer. An approach is reported to have already been made by the Bianconeri of an initial loan deal which includes an obligation to be made permanent, and the LaLiga club are willing to do a deal if he says that he has no plans to sign a contract extension.

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.

Manchester United is making progress on its pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain attacker Randal Kolo Muani:

Manchester United’s efforts to sign Randal Kolo Muani are becoming more concrete!

The Red Devils are now determined to do everything possible to secure his transfer in the winter. Recently, there have been very specific talks with his management, and direct negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain are expected to follow.

#MUFC are considering a loan deal, ideally with an option to buy.

Other clubs still in the race include Chelsea, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Juventus, AC Milan, and others.