Daily Schmankerl: Amid interest from Manchester City and Liverpool, Joshua Kimmich leaning toward Bayern Munich deal; Real Madrid to miss on Trent Alexander-Arnold this month; Benjamin Šeško staying at RB Leipzig; and MORE!

Real Madrid, Manchester City, Liverpool FC…Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich has been linked to some of the best clubs in Europe.

Despite that, Sky Sport journalist Kerry Hau says that Kimmich is still favoring a contract extension with Bayern Munich:

Joshua Kimmich is still leaning towards extending his contract at FC Bayern. Nothing has changed. The track linking the player to Real Madrid and Liverpool is currently ‘cold’. Bayern remain optimistic that Kimmich will extend. Unlike Leroy Sané, Kimmich is unwilling to take a pay cut – talks are over a ‘top contract.’

Kimmich’s situation needs to be resolved soon, mostly because Bayern Munich needs to know if it needs to ramp up scouting for a central midfielder or if Kimmich will be patrolling that position for the next four-to-five years.

Atlético Madrid could be looking at Arsenal FC’s Oleksandr Zinchenko, who has also been linked to Borussia Dortmund:

⚪️ Understand that Atlético Madrid have now entered the race for Oleksandr #Zinchenko.

Serious talks are underway, with Atlético open to either a permanent deal or a loan with an obligation to buy.

Current price valuation: €20m + add-ons. The 28-y/o left-back is keen to leave Arsenal.

Dortmund remain in the race but are currently less active, as the package is too expensive and #BVB are looking for a player who can also play as a centre-back.

ESPN captured additional information on Zinchenko as well:

Oleksandr Zinchenko is expected to leave Arsenal before the end of the transfer window, reports the Daily Telegraph. Borussia Dortmund are at the front of the queue for the 28-year-old’s signature amid plans to reinforce their squad at left-back after previously holding interest in Chelsea’s Renato Veiga. Zinchenko arrived in north London for a fee of £30 million from Manchester City in the summer of 2022. However, The Sun reports that Dortmund could also offer Ben Chilwell an escape route from Chelsea to add to the position.

Streaking Bayern Munich was stopped in its tracks in the Netherlands by a stout Feyenoord squad and now needs to rebound against a somewhat desperate and reeling SC Freiburg side.

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 SC Freiburg and Bayern Munich.
• Taking a peek back at the first meeting between the two teams.
• A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI — and an alternative look at what could happen if Vincent Kompany gets creative.
• A prediction on the match.

Real Madrid has been linked to Liverpool FC right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold for months, but the Spanish powerhouse might not be able to pull off a move for the 26-year-old:

It will be “almost impossible” for Real Madrid to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold in this transfer window, Marca reports, after already seeing offers rebuffed by Liverpool. The Anfield club aren’t willing to lose a key player at this stage of the season — as they chase winning the Premier League and the Champions League — despite Madrid and the player’s preference for getting a deal done now. He has long been Madrid’s top target for a free transfer in the summer, but the long-term injury to Dani Carvajal led them to try to bring a move forward to January.

Marca say that’s “highly unlikely,” with no reason for Liverpool to contemplate a transfer now, and as a result Madrid will have to make do for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, there is no interest in Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich from Real Madrid, also according to Marca.

While rumors have been swirling around RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Šeško, head coach Marco Rose said his star scorer is not going anywhere:

RB Leipzig boss Marco Rose has insisted it’s impossible for Arsenal target Benjamin Sesko to leave in the January transfer window.

That is a relief…I can’t start up my third iteration of #Project2026 already!

Bayern Munich got battered in Rotterdam by Feyenoord and it opened up a whole lot of discussion about what might be going on with Bayern Munich and why the squad has come up so small at times this season.

Let’s talk about what is going on, why fans are so irate, and what might need to change ahead of next season:

• Is Joshua Kimmich correct? Is Bayern Munich not a top team at the moment?
• Will Kimmich’s decision on his future be impacted by games like Feyenoord?
• What is going on with Harry Kane?
• Kim Min-jae made another high-profile mistake at a time where he is playing with an injury. How can Bayern improve defensively?
• Should Vincent Kompany be on the hot seat? He said he knew what Feyenoord was going to do…so why was the result so bad?
• How much change needs to happen for 2025/26?

Bayern Munich is still interested in Chelsea FC attacker Christopher Nkunku and could have less competition because Manchester United could be set to drop out of the race for the former RB Leipzig man:

Christopher Nkunku’s future at Chelsea is in question as interest from top European clubs continues to grow. According to Graeme Bailey of TBR Football, the 27-year-old forward could leave as early as January, with his representatives already exploring potential moves.

Nkunku arrived at Chelsea in 2023 from RB Leipzig for £52 million but has struggled to establish himself as a regular starter, sparking speculation about his next steps. Journalist Ben Jacobs has reported that Paris Saint-Germain has a genuine interest in bringing Nkunku back to Ligue 1, though no formal approach has been made yet. Meanwhile, Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg claims Bayern Munich is eager to secure the forward immediately.

The German champions have reportedly reached a verbal agreement with Nkunku on a long-term contract, with all terms finalized. Nkunku is also keen on joining Bayern as soon as possible.However, another club is reportedly preparing to challenge Bayern for the player’s signature, potentially disrupting the deal.

On Friday, Sky Sports News reported that Manchester United are considering the Frenchman as one potential target this January transfer window to bolster their attack.

“Christopher Nkunku is a potential target for Manchester United in this window,” Michael Bridge said. “Talks are understood to have been held between intermediaries about a move. Chelsea do not want to sell Nkunku, but it is thought they would be tempted to do business for £70 million. He is a player United are considering, but they are unlikely to meet the £70 million figure.”

However, there could be a way that United gets back into the mix without having to pay £70 million:

Former Bayern Munich left-back Juan Bernat saw his contract terminated:

Paris Saint-Germain have terminated the contract of Juan Bernat, who has been on loan at Villarreal. That allowed Randal Kolo Muani’s loan move to Juve to go through.

Hmmm…Alphonso Davies is out for four-to-six weeks and Bernat is free…any interest?

Bayern Munich traveled to Rotterdam to face off with Feyenoord and while the Bavarians were not exactly given a warm reception, the visitors certainly did not make themselves at home either in a stunning 3-0 defeat.

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 looked confused and lethargic at times to start things off.
• Feyenoord was on a mission and goalkeeper Justin Bijlow was sensational.
• What a disaster for Bayern Munich.
• Some final thoughts and takeaways on the match.

Bayer Leverkusen is rumored to have reached an agreement on a contract extension with Victor Boniface, but that does not mean that the striker cannot be traded:

⚫️ Victor #Boniface’s contract was secretly extended by another year until 2029, as exclusively revealed on our Transfer Update show. The 24-y/o striker is now one of the top earners at Bayer 04.

However, as reported, he is still not considered unsellable. Leverkusen are demanding at least €50m. Clubs from Saudi Arabia have him on their radar.