Daily Schmankerl: Liverpool “serious” about Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sané; Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne to MLS?; Manchester United to keep Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui; Inter Milan eyeing Liverpool’s Federico Chiesa; and MORE!

With his future at Bayern Munich more uncertain than ever, Leroy Sané could be looking for a new employer in the coming months.

If so, expect Liverpool FC to make a strong run at the Germany international:

Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sané is on Liverpool’s list as a potential Mohamed Salah replacement if he leaves next summer. That’s according to journalist Christian Falk, who has told BILD that the German is on Liverpool’s list and a ‘serious issue’ at Anfield.

Liverpool are known to be actively scouring the market for potential replacements for Salah at this moment in time, with it unknown whether he’ll be staying at Anfield beyond the summer.

The Reds have now officially opened contract talks with the Egyptian to extend his stay beyond next year but whether they end positively for all parties, who appear to want the same thing, remains to be seen.

At this point, it has been reported that Sané is willing to take a pay cut to stay in Bavaria, but Bayern Munich might want to finally refresh the wing position and try some new players. Even with a reduced salary, the Bavarians might opt to take a pass on Sané, whose career with the club has been wildly inconsistent.

Sané, Serge Gnabry, and Kingsley Coman could all be in jeopardy of being moved or let go this summer.

Could Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne be on his way to MLS? NYCFC and Inter Miami could be in play for the 33-year-old:

Kevin De Bruyne will be given the chance to move to another club in City Football Group when he leaves Manchester City, the Daily Telegraph reports. De Bruyne, 33, is out of contract at the end of the season and has been linked with a lucrative free transfer to Saudi Arabia. The report states that New York City FC could offer him the chance to play in MLS. However, the Daily Mirror says that Inter Miami CF are ready to make a move.

Bayern Munich’s first half (for all intents and purposes) is almost over and while the team is wrapping things up on the pitch, there is a lot of work being done in the boardroom.

Let’s chat about what’s going on with the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show. This is what we have on tap:

• Vincent Kompany must figure out a way to rotate better. Bayern Munich has been lucky with players like Joshua Kimmich, Dayot Upamecano, and Kim Min-jae, but are they at-risk?
• Did Joshua Kimmich win the negotiation war with Bayern Munich? If so, what does that mean for Alphonso Davies? Speaking of Davies, there is a wild Real Madrid spin on why things might have soured between the two parties.
• Meanwhile, Leroy Sané could be reading the writing on the wall and is — allegedly — willing to take a pay cut.
• A brief Entertainment Rundown.

You could argue that Bayern Munich could still use Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui right now, but Manchester United has no intentions of letting those two players go anywhere, any time soon:

Internally, Manchester United agree that over half of the players in the squad are serious candidates for sale in the winter or summer if good offers come in. Ruben #Amorim is to be given the opportunity to make a rebuild, which will require urgent sales.

Currently, players considered unsellable include Diallo, Mainoo, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Yoro, Onana, and 2-3 other key players. #MUFC

@SkySportDE

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge thinks Bayern Munich’s players have fully embraced Vincent Kompany.

“This is a double effect that was not present last season. This is the great merit of Vincent Kompany, who convinced the players with the way he plays football,” Rummenigge told kicker’s Georg Holzner.

Bayern Munich will travel to Mainz 05 for a Bundesliga tilt where head coach Vincent Kompany will have to continue to work through the mini-injury crisis that is going on at the moment.

So far, Kompany has managed it with aplomb…can he keep it going? Let’s talk about all of that and more on the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show. This is what we have on tap:

• Can Bayern Munich stay hot against a pesky Mainz 05 squad?
• 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 Mainz 05 and Bayern Munich.
• A guess at Bayern Munich’s starting XI…will Kompany use any young players?
• A prediction on the match.

With Federico Chiesa’s suture at Liverpool FC in doubt, Inter Milan could be looking to bring the Italian attacker home:

Internazionale are monitoring the situation of Liverpool winger Federico Chiesa, according to Calciomercato. The Nerazzurri have been interested in the 27-year-old for “some time,” but any move hinges on whether they are able to offload both Joaquín Correa and Marko Arnautovic. Chiesa returned to training with the Reds this week, while AS Roma and AC Milan could also consider moves for him.

Despite the rampant transfer rumors, FC Barcelona boss Hansi Flick is a fan of midfielder Frenkie De Jong:

“For me he [De Jong] is a very important player. That is my opinion and I cannot control what comes from outside. He is a great professional and gives his all in training. For us he is an important player,” Flick said.

Both De Jong and Flick were handed red cards last weekend for Barca, which might have enhanced the bond between the two.

We kid, we kid…

Bayern Munich traveled to Gelsenkirchen to take on Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League and walked away with a convincing 5-1 victory.

Michael Olise scored twice, while Konrad Laimer, Thomas Müller, and Jamal Musiala each had goals in a dominant effort from the Bavarians. 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 it could mean for Laimer and Leon Goretzka.
• A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
• What a resurgent effort from Müller, while Musiala continued his brilliance.
• Bayern Munich’s attack was much better, but still is not clicking on all cylinders.
• Some final thoughts and takeaways on the match.

Bayer Leverkusen would like to extend the contract of attacker Victor Boniface:

Bayer Leverkusen are planning to ward off interest in striker Victor Boniface by handing him a new contract, says Sky Sports Deutschland’s Florian Plettenberg. The Bundesliga side are hopeful of signing the 23-year-old to a long-term deal until the summer of 2029, with Manchester United one of the clubs that are believed to be monitoring his situation as manager Ruben Amorim looks for a long-term striker solution. Boniface has scored six goals in eight league starts this season.

FC Barcelona has been linked to Athletic Club winger Nico Williams for months, but now the 21-year-old might be ready to make the leap:

Nico Williams has expressed his desire to join Barcelona and is “sending signals” to the Catalan giants, reports Sport. The Athletic Club winger was heavily linked with a move to Barça in the summer, but the absence of a guaranteed registration fee saw negotiations break down between the player and the club. The 21-year-old now has “more interest” in making the switch, although Barcelona are said to be looking at alternative transfer options.

The Bundesliga is approaching the end of its Hinrunde stage, and the table is shaping up nicely for Bayern Munich supporters, but worryingly for VfL Bochum supporters.

Matchday 13 provided plenty of goals, late drama, and no 0-0 draws! In other words, the Bundesliga at its finest.

In this episode of the Bundesliga Rundown, Marcus discusses:

• The fun fact that the Bundesliga Rundown is now on BlueSky! Go follow if you have an account!
• Why he believes VfL Wolfsburg’s Ralph Hasenhüttl is one of the best coaches the 2024/25 Bundesliga has to offer.
• The worrying signs surrounding Union Berlin.
• The worst team in Bundesliga history.
• …and much more!