Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich’s Max Eberl still pining for Jonathan Tah?; Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne to…San Diego?; A price tag for Omar Marmoush; Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting shoots down Genoa; and MORE!

There are some conflicting rumors floating around on whether or not Bayern Munich still wants Bayer Leverkusen center-back Jonathan Tah.

According to Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg, Bayern Munich board member for sport Max Eberl would still like to bring in Tah. Would Tah represent an upgrade to the team’s center-back core? Eberl might think so…or he might just want another option for depth:

⚫️ Jonathan #Tah still plans to leave Bayer 04 Leverkusen on a free transfer in summer ✔️

A contract extension is completely off the table for the 28y/o. Leverkusen bosses also do not expect him to extend his contract.

FC Bayern, with Max Eberl, remain interested in the centre-back, but there is no clear indication from the player’s side yet. Talks are ongoing.

Bringing in Tah to what some consider a volatile situation at center-back likely will not help things. Tah has not been as good this season as he was during the 2023/24 campaign. At his age, there is no reason for Bayern Munich to think he will ever be anything more than he already is (which is not good enough to be what the Bavarians need).

Could Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne be interested in a move to…San Diego? Oddly enough…yes:

San Diego FC have had talks with the camp of Manchester City superstar Kevin de Bruyne about a potential future signing, sources tell GIVEMESPORT.

De Bruyne prefers a move to MLS than Saudi Arabia if he is to leave City, sources say.

Talks are preliminary, but there is mutual interest from both sides, sources say. Rumors suggesting San Diego offered de Bruyne a salary of $20 million per year are not accurate, sources add. It is far from advanced.

Any negotiations would not be for this winter as de Bruyne remains a key figure for Manchester City and the timeline is not yet specified. De Bruyne’s contract is set to expire next summer, per an official release from City, but there is the chance that de Bruyne remains at City beyond that contract.

Sources say Manchester City are keen to keep de Bruyne at the club as well.

San Diego’s connection to de Bruyne dates back to May, when sources said de Bruyne’s camp spoke with the MLS club to gauge potential interest.

Though de Bruyne’s preference is MLS, he has also had contact with Saudi dealmakers, sources say. Saudi Pro League sporting director Michael Emenalo would love to bring him to Saudi but is yet to receive encouragement despite rumors of advanced talks over the summer. A deal with Al-Ittihad, where Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante play, was never close or likely.

A couple of things about this rumor:

1. Who wouldn’t want to move there? Greater San Diego is awesome…Carlsbad, Oceanside, Del Mar…great, great places.
2. As a fellow pale boy, De Bruyne might want to invest HEAVILY in sunscreen.

Can I say anything bad about San Diego?

Hmmm…well, they did allow some of their people to do this travesty:

Bayern Munich ran the gamut of emotions from “We’re back!” during a 4-0 victory over VfB Stuttgart to “Oh, no!” after getting dismantled 4-1 by FC Barcelona in the Champions League.

So, we are here to address all of it and why waste any more time in bantering? Let’s get to it. This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:

• Where can Bayern Munich go from here? What should fans feel good about.
• Yes, Bayern Munich can run the table in the Champions League — League Phase.
• In an odd way, FC Barcelona taught us all how important Aleksandar Pavlović is to this team.
• Despite some recent poor performances, Vincent Kompany is shielding his players from the heat.
• What should fans be concerned about?
• Reality is hitting about the career shelf-life for Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller.
• João Palhinha might not be as good as advertised, but give him time.
• Tough decisions are going to need to be made soon on the wing and center-back positions.
• Oh…and about that report from Christian Falk on internal “debate” over Kompany’s tactics. Let’s discuss that…

If any club wants Eintracht Frankfurt star Omar Marmoush, a transfer fee of €50 million to €60 million will be required:

Eintracht Frankfurt are currently demanding a transfer fee of between €50-60m for Omar #Marmoush.

Liverpool is indeed a serious option. The interest is real, and there has already been contact between the player’s camp and #LFC. #SGE are aware of it.

Marmoush dreams of a move to the Premier League and would immediately agree to join Liverpool.

Former Bayern Munich striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is free…to do what he wants…any old time — and that includes making a decision to not join Genoa:

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting will not join Genoa despite concrete interest from the Serie A club, reports Sky Sports Deutschland’s Florian Plettenberg.

The forward has been a free agent since his Bayern Munich contract expired in the summer and the 35-year-old wants to make a decision on his next move soon.

Bayern Munich will look to bounce back from its Champions League defeat at the hands of FC Barcelona with a Bundesliga game against a VfL Bochum squad that is in complete turmoil.

Will Bayern Munich play angry and show resilience or will they sulk and meander through an unmotivated effort against an inferior team? The feeling here is that the Bavarians are going to want to show…something. Heart? Energy? Whatever…Bayern Munich should be playing with a purpose and that will create issues for VfL Bochum.

This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show:

• Why VfL Bochum is the perfect “get right” game for Bayern Munich.
• A look at where each team is in the table and the recent form of each squad.
• A look at the rosters and injuries for VfL Bochum and the Bayern Munich.
• A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI.
• A prediction on the match.

Niclas Füllkrug is on the road to recovery for West Ham and Germany:

⚒️ Niclas #Füllkrug is continuing to work hard on his comeback for West Ham United ✔️

His Achilles tendon injury is persistent, but he is expected to return to the pitch in the coming days and should be back in the squad after the international break.

As of now, Füllkrug isn’t considering a departure in winter. #WHUFC also don’t want to let the 31y/o leave and believe in German striker. A sale is currently not on the table.

There are a lot of rumors that Pep Guardiola would leave Manchester City if the club gets hit with penalties for alleged violations. However, that might not be the case:

Rob Dawson believes Pep Guardiola could stay at Man City even if they are found guilty on the 115 Premier League charges.

Guardiola is out of contract in the summer and could leave the Etihad.

Bayern Munich travelled to Spain to take on FC Barcelona…but this was not your older brother’s Barca.

Hansi Flick had his team aggressive, creative, and relentless (shades of his tenure at Bayern Munich) and maybe most importantly, Flick had his squad prepared to take advantage of Bayern Munich’s iffy backline — and that is exactly what the Catalans did to snare a 4-1 victory.

Needless to say, there is a TON to talk about, so let’s do it. 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.
• Neither coach backed down from their aggressive tactics.
• Why Bayern Munich’s lack of awareness and discipline on the backline is (and has been a problem).
• Missing on Hansi Flick this summer is a decision that will continue to be rued.
• Yup, we are Frustrated, Inc.
• Where does Bayern Munich go from here?