Daily Schmankerl: Did Bayern Munich want Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni this summer?; Liverpool, Arsenal realizing they can’t get Joshua Kimmich; FC Barcelona looking for Robert Lewandowski backup?; Manchester United stuck with Casemiro?; and MORE!

When Bayern Munich added João Palhinha this summer, it was widely-assumed that the club would only be looking to shed a midfielder, not bring another one onboard.

Per a report out of Spain, though, the Bavarians kicked the tires on a deal for Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni before being soundly rejected by Los Blancos:

But while Real Madrid may not go after a new player in the market, the club have continued to receive proposals for their star players.

In one such instance, the club have received inquiries from Bayern Munich for the services of Aurelien Tchouameni, reports Defensa Central.It appears the Bundesliga giants are ready to shore up their ranks in midfield by signing the French international, who is one of Carlo Ancelotti’s favourites.

Tchouameni is indeed a vital cog in the Real Madrid midfield. His versatility, coupled with his ability to work efficiently in midfield make him a crucial player for Los Blancos, especially as they look to prepare themselves for life without Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.

Real Madrid, for their part, did not take long to respond to Bayern Munich’s inquiry, which had no mention of any sum involved in the deal. The Spanish giants have vehemently refused to consider any offers for Tchouameni, as they consider him to be one of the most important players in the club’s project.

This seems very…unlikely. While Bayern Munich has been linked to Tchouameni in the past, this kind of move would have been a little too crazy for a transfer window where the Bavarians already went very aggressive in their approach.

Manchester United might be keeping midfielder Casemiro after all:

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has decided to keep Casemiro following an impressive pre-season and beginning to the new Premier League campaign. The Red Devils had planned to sell the midfielder, but were short of suitors to take him on.

Welcome to Part 3 of the Bundesliga 2024/25 Prediction Series!

The concept is simple: Marcus Iredahl, a Bundesliga fanatic and self-proclaimed mediocre predictor, will review all the Bundesliga teams for the upcoming 2024/25 season and predict their final standings.

So please join him as he will review all the teams, offering his insights on their summer transfer window, coach, and the top 3 players to watch this season.

Part 3 will cover predictions for the 6th to 1st place finishes. Marcus will offer insights on:

• Why Bayer Leverkusen is poised for a great season after last year’s success under Xabi Alonso.
• Why Bayern Munich needs to give new head coach Vincent Kompany time to make his mark.
• Why Nuri Sahin’s Dortmund project lacks confidence for the future.
• Why Eintracht Frankfurt could be this season’s dark horse.
• Why Benjamin Sesko is just one season away from becoming an elite striker.
• And much more!

Part 1 covered the 18th to 13th place finishes and included the following predictions:

18. VfL Bochum

17. Holstein Kiel

16. FC Heidenheim

15. FSV Mainz 05

14. FC St. Pauli

13. FC Augsburg

Part 2 covered the 12th to 7th place finished and included the following predictions:

12. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

11. SV Werder Bremen

10. SC Freiburg

9. VfB Stuttgart

8. FC Union Berlin

7. Borussia Mönchengladbach

It appears that both Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC have come to grips with the fact that they will not be getting Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich:

It has been no secret over recent months that Liverpool have been looking to bolster their defensive midfield and the Reds have now been dealt another blow. After losing out on Martin Zubimendi, it has been widely reported that the club wouldn’t just sign any other player for the sake of it.

While links have been made with Adrien Rabiot and Teun Koopmeiners nothing concrete has been established. Both Liverpool and Arsenal had been heavily linked with Joshua Kimmich who was expected to leave Munich this summer after a difficult season under former Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel.

Now the player is set to be given the chance to impress in the midfield under new boss Vincent Kompany.

FC Barcelona is going to give Ansu Fati a chance to show he can backup Robert Lewandowski, but the Catalans would like to have someone a bit more established for the role:

Barcelona want a high-level backup to Robert Lewandowski, but head coach Hansi Flick is willing to give Ansu Fati a chance to prove his worth in this role. Fati spent last season on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion but will no longer be pushed towards the exit door.

Well, we made it.

Through the EURO 2024 tourney, a crazy transfer window (which is still ongoing for a few more days), the preseason, and the opening DFB-Pokal match, Bayern Munich is finally ready to kick off its Bundesliga season.

Excitement does, indeed, reign supreme.

If you want our takes on the Bayern Munich vs. Wolfsburg match, check out our Preview Show, but for now, we have a lot of other Bayern news to tackle on our agenda. Let’s take a look at what is on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:

• After all of that, Leon Goretzka and Kingsley Coman are probably staying at Bayern Munich…now, what?
• More thoughts on that wild Matthijs de Ligt story.
• Germany lost a ton of experience in the last two months after the respective retirements of Toni Kroos, Thomas Müller, İlkay Gündoğan, and Manuel Neuer.
• Would Manuel Neuer have stayed with Germany under another coach?
• The four most “captain-like” players all retired, so Joshua Kimmich has to be the choice…right?
• Who else could be in contention?

This is embarrassing:

At one point, FC Barcelona’s Ronald Araújo was the apple of Bayern Munich’s eye. Nowe, Paris Saint-Germain could be inclined to make a move for the center-back:

PSG are already making plans to sign Ronald Araújo on a free transfer from Barcelona. The defender’s contract expires in 2026, meaning other clubs can make offers directly to him in just under 18 months.

Bayern Munich will kick off its Bundesliga season on Sunday vs. VfL Wolfsburg in a match that will tell us a lot about what Vincent Kompany has in its plans for the squad this season.

For the most part, Bayern Munich is healthy and seems poised to make a strong run at winning the Meisterschale. There is a lot of time between now and when that would happen, though, so fans are going to have endure through the ups-and-downs of the season.

Let’s take a look at what we have on tap for the match that will start another journey:

• What to watch for with Wolfsburg.
• A look at Bayern Munich’s injury situation.
• A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI.
• A prediction on the match.

Youssoufa Moukoko wants out of Borussia Dortmund, but needs a willing team to take him on:

⚫️ Youssoufa #Moukoko, he was not part of the squad of @BVB against Eintracht Frankfurt today as expected (2:0).

#BVB and Moukoko, still planning a transfer until Deadline Day. 19 y/o striker, one to watch in the next days as he’s currently only striker No. 4. Moukoko wants to play regularly.

Inquiries on the table. Dortmund waiting for suitable offers.