Daily Schmankerl: FC Barcelona might actually think it can Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich; Manchester United planning swoop for Benjamin Pavard; Arsenal, Newcastle United want Juventus star Federico Chiesa; Manchester City done with Joao Cancelo; & MORE!

According to Mundo Deportivo, Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich is going to force his way out of the club this summer, which would pave the way for FC Barcelona to bring in the Germany international.

If you do not have a strong stomach, then I suggest you do not take a gander at the Photoshop job below:

Barca Universal captured from detail from the Mundo Deportivo and it, well, is exactly what you would expect:

In a positive development for FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich is willing to put pressure on his club in order to force a transfer away to Catalonia in the summer window. This claim comes from Fernando Polo and Ferran Martinez of Mundo Deportivo, who report that Kimmich is keen on a change of scenery and is eager to join the La Liga champions.

Barcelona are in the market for a defensive midfielder as they prepare to bid goodbye to captain Sergio Busquets. Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad has been at the top of Xavi Hernandez’s wishlist, but his signing is seen as complicated. Kimmich, to that end, has emerged as the next priority for the Blaugrana in their bid to address the pivot midfield position. And, Xavi has asked the club to do everything in their power to land the 28-year-old, whose market value stands at €80 million.

Kimmich is contracted to Bayern Munich until 2025 but is open to pursuing a new challenge in his career. He is aware of Barça’s admiration towards him and would love the idea of joining the La Liga champions to play under Xavi.

The chances of this happening are probably even more slim than Bayern Munich’s are for getting Declan Rice.

On Saturday, we saw that Benjamin Pavard’s agent is in talks with Liverpool FC, but Manchester United might be getting serious about an offer to Bayern Munich for Pavard:

Man Utd are reportedly ‘in for’ France international Benjamin Pavard and Bayern Munich will let him ‘leave immediately’ for around €40m. The German giants paid around €35m to sign the right-back from VfB Stuttgart in 2019 and he has been a key player for them over the past four seasons. The 27-year-old was involved in eight goals for the Bundesliga champions across all competitions in 2022/23 and he is out of contract in 2024.

At the end of last year, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed that Pavard “would love” to play in the Premier League. “Pavard was discussed with Chelsea last summer but was not a top priority; now it’s normal that clubs are keeping info on him as Pavard is open to leave Bayern in 2023,” Romano told Caught Offside. “He’d love Premier League move I’m told; but there is still nothing serious.”

Man Utd have been consistently linked with Pavard over the past couple of months. Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg is reporting that the defender ‘definitely wants to leave the club in summer’. Pavard ‘will be allowed to leave Bayern immediately’ and the Bundesliga outfit are ‘demanding a transfer fee of €30-40m’. Plettenberg reckons ‘Real Madrid, Barcelona, Man Utd, Man City and more clubs are all in’ for the World Cup winner.

Manchester City has repotedly told Joao Cancelo that he won’t be playing for the club any longer:

Joao Cancelo has been told his Man City career is over following his high-profile fall-out with manager Pep Guardiola, sources have told Football Insider.

It is believed Guardiola wants the 29-year-old gone for good – and the defender has been informed there is no way back for him at the Etihad Stadium despite the conclusion of his Bayern Munich loan spell.

We are deep in the throws of silly season with Bayern Munich and it has been absolute craziness for days now.

With some big name (and money!) players potentially coming in to Bayern Munich and some club staples potentially heading out, the team is in a state of flux. There is plenty to talk about, so let’s get to it:

• The transfer of West Ham’s Declan Rice to Bayern Munich is not looking good…what’s next? Who can Bayern Munich get if Arsenal FC makes its play for Rice?
• Thoughts on Bayern Munich’s plan to revamp its attack and why it has the futures for Sadio Mané, Leroy Sané, and Serge Gnabry on shaky ground.
• Why Raphael Guerreiro was a deft pickup.
• Some thoughts on Bayern Munich’s instability, how long it might take the new leadership to fix, and why patience will be vital for fans of the club.

Real Madrid might still be plotting a move for Chelsea FC’s Kai Havertz:

Update #Havertz: There is contact between #RealMadrid and his management. But nothing advanced yet. Still no agreements and as reported: It’s not a fast transfer! Been told again it will take time. #CFC

One reason: He’s not considered to be a 1:1 replacement for Benzema. Therefore Real has other priorities now: #Kane! #Lukaku could be offered later.

However Havertz‘ move to Real is still possible in this window. @SkySportDE

We heard the rumors that Bayern Munich might be interested in Juventus star Federico Chiesa, but those were quickly swatted down. Arsenal FC and Newcastle United are still in the running, though:

Former Bayern Munich prospect Mitchell Weiser has a release clause in his deal with Werder Bremen — and could be on the move:

Having won the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich turn their attentions to the transfer window. The major topic of the week is Declan Rice, who is at the top of the list of the club’s options for defensive midfield. In addition, the fallout from the sacking of Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic continues with serious confusion in squad planning and reports that Bayern’s backline could be set for a shakeup.

In the meantime, Bavarian Podcast Works has been nominated for the 2023 edition of the World Soccer Talk — Best Club Podcast Award. Click on that link and go vote for us!

In this episode, INNN and Chuck talk about the following:

• WHO could be the striker Bayern Munich signs this season? A summary of realistic options.
• The pros and cons of Dusan Vlahovic.
• What if Bayern Munich can’t secure one of its top transfer targets?
• The big one: Would Declan Rice even consider a move to Bayern? What’s in it for him?
• Debating the merits of bringing in Declan Rice — the impact on Leon Goretzka/Konrad Laimer/Ryan Gravenberch, could Kimmich do his job, his potential role in the system, and alternatives.
• Has losing Brazzo thrown a wrench in Bayern’s long term squad planning?
• WHY is the board trying to sign Raphael Guerreiro?
• What happens if Bayern Munich loses both Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard?
• If you had to sell only one, who would it be?