Daily Schmankerl: Harry Kane not leaving Bayern Munich this summer; Jack Grealish to bolt from Manchester City?; Real Madrid eyeing Manchester United star; Bayern, FC Barcelona battling over Porto star?; and MORE!

Every Bayern Munich player should be placed in bubble wrap this week…

Kane staying put…for now (@Plettigoal via @iMiaSanMia)

According to a report from Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg (via @iMiaSanMia), Bayern Munich star Harry Kane is not seeking a move back to England, despite reports out of England indicating that he wants to go home:

Harry Kane is very happy in Munich and has no intention of returning to the Premier League at the moment, amid contrary reports in England.

For Kane, 2025 does seem too early to exit Bavaria. First, there is still no guarantee that Bayern Munich wins the Bundesliga (though this writer thinks it will happen) or the Champions League given the recent injury crisis that the team is battling.

Second, Kane leaving now would leave the Bavarians in a bad spot with roster planning. While leaving in 2026 would be a year before his contract ends, it would allow bayern Munich bolster its coffers with a transfer fee and give time to properly plan for how to replace the English striker.

It is complex, but Kane seems like a stand-up guy, who is willing to fulfill his end of a bargain. In exchange for that elusive first trophy that he should get this season, Kane will do right by the Bavarians and help ensure they are not left high-and-dry when he does leave.

Grealish on the move? (ESPN)

Manchester City and Jack Grealish appear headed for a split:

Newcastle United and AC Milan are keen on a summer deal for Manchester City winger Jack Grealish, TEAMtalk reports. The 29-year-old has struggled for form so far this season and has been heavily linked with a summer transfer. Amid reports of City’s desire to move Grealish on, several clubs look poised to explore the parameters of a future deal. Alongside Newcastle and Milan, Chelsea have also been mentioned as a potential destination for the England international, who is yet to score in the Premier League this season.

It is an extreme long shot because of the cost, but Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany is known to be a fan of Grealish. Could the coach push for a move? Maybe, but Bayern Munich’s budget and plans for the next two summer transfer windows (Florian Wirtz, Harry Kane successor, center-back) might supercede a winger that expensive like Grealish.

For whatever it is worth, Grealish has been linked to Bayern munich at a few different points.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 7, Episode 36 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich has a lot going on.

Aside of its Bundesliga title, Champions League run, and constant fight against injuries, Bayern Munich could be in a showdown with club legend Thomas Müller — and could be turning him away (depending on whether or not you believe the latest reports).

Let’s talk about all of it on the latest edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works Show:

• Müller is apparently OUT at Bayern Munich this season despite wanting to return. Let’s talk about what we know on both sides of this. Sport Bild, kicker, and Sky are not denying Müller, but nothing is official.
• Let’s talk about why Bayern Munich might be turning him away.
• This is also horrible vibes at this point in the season. Will Bayern Munich rally around it or become distracted?
• Oh yeah, Hiroki Itō is now also out “several months” with another metatarsal injury.
• What can Bayern Munich do work around losing its top two left-back options for the season.
• And, yeah, we will discuss the topic of rotations and injury management again.

Rummenigge calls for more focus, commitment (@iMiaSanMia)

Bayern Munich legen Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was asked if the order in German football has been restored after knocking Bayer Leverkusen out of the Champions League.

“The order has been somewhat restored. But it won’t be complete until we’ve also become German champions at the end of the season. We shouldn’t be so sure about that yet. We led 2-0 at home against Bochum, 1-0 in Berlin, and still dropped five points. That’s a luxury we can’t afford in the future. We have to play with more focus and commitment to get the points we need. Leverkusen will now become a serious competitor again,” said Rummenigge.

Sané, Olise, Kane recognized for efforts vs. St. Pauli (@iMiaSanMia)

Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sané and Michael Olise were recognized for their efforts vs. St. Pauli by kicker:

Harry Kane joined Sané and Olise on Bild’s version of the Team of the Week:

Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show: Bayern Munich 3-2 St. Pauli (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich took on St. Pauli at the Allianz Arena and looked like a team that was still shaking off the international break.

Creative at times, choppy at others, Bayern Munich played down to the level of its competition in the league again at times, but also showed great resilience. The Champions League is important, but winning the Bundesliga should be the primary goal at the moment, so it was good to see the attacking group step up and shoulder the load.

Let’s dig into it, this is what we have on tap for the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show:

• A look at the lineup and why some of the players left out were on the bench.
• A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
• Some final takeaways from the match.

Bayern in running with Barca for Porto attacker? (Barca News Network)

Bayern Munich is being linked with Porto forward Samu Aghehowa, who has caught the attention of FC Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, and West Ham United:

The FC Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski was once again on the scoresheet as he scored the third and last goal in the league game against Osasuna.

This goal was only the latest indication of the very good season that the Pole is having, which makes him the best-placed player to win the Pichichi and also one of the candidates for the Golden Boot.

However, he is already 36 years of age, and it is clear that he does not have a lot of years left to continue playing at the highest level. As a result, the Blaugrana club is likely to look for a long-term replacement for him in the market, and have already been linked with several interesting names.

The latest striker to be linked with Barcelona is the Porto forward Samu Aghehowa, who is emerging as a highly sought-after target for the summer, and according to CaughtOffside, he is already in the sights of several big European clubs.

The report claims that the Blaugrana side likes the Spaniard quite a lot, and Lamine Yamal is personally pushing his club to get the 20-year-old Porto striker.

However, Manchester United are also keeping an eye on the Spanish youngster who joined Porto only last summer. The Red Devils head coach, Ruben Amorim, is reportedly a big fan of the player and is pushing his club to sign him.

Meanwhile, other big clubs like Bayern Munich, Tottenham Hotspurs, and West Ham United are also interested in the Spanish forward, even though Porto are not too keen to sell their prized asset. However, his relatively affordable release clause of €100 million can allow one of these clubs to get their hands on the player.

David has plenty of suitors (ESPN)

Bayern Munich might have exited the race for Jonathan David, but he will have plenty of options this summer:

Newcastle United have joined a host of Premier League clubs and top European sides chasing Lille striker Jonathan David, The i Paper reports. David, 25, has scored 23 goals in 38 club appearances this season, including nine in the Champions League. The Canada international is set to leave Lille this summer when his contract runs out. According to The i, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United have all made contact with David’s representatives, while Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, Internazionale and Juventus are also keen.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show Season 4, Episode 36 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich’s preparation for the stretch run of the season hit some snags over the course of the last week thanks to some very untimely injuries.

Despite that, the club is pushing forward and even keeping one eye on in the future as well. Let’s talk about all of that and more in this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:

• Let’s talk about what the losses of Bayern Munich stars Alphonso Davies, Manuel Neuer, and Dayot Upamecano mean for the rest of this season.
• Will Vincent Kompany learn anything from the slew of injuries he’s dealing with at the moment?
• It’s time for a transfer rumor round-up. Let’s talk about the most recent players linked to Bayern Munich, including Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz, VfB Stuttgart’s Nick Woltemade, Chelsea FC’s Christopher Nkunku, Southampton’s Tyler Dibling, RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams, Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola, and Mainz 05’s Jonathan Burkardt.
• A brief Entertainment Rundown.

LFC eyeing Isak (TBR Football via 90Min.com)

Liverpool is keeping a close on Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak:

Liverpool are ready to break their transfer record to sign Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak but are exploring ways to bring the Sweden international’s price down. Joe Gomez, Jarell Quansah, Harvey Elliott and Ben Doak could all be offered in a swap deal.

Madrid to make shock move for Fernandes (ESPN)

Real Madrid could be thinking about a surprise move for Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes:

Real Madrid are lining up a shock summer bid for Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, the Daily Star reports. Representatives from Los Blancos have been ever-presents at Old Trafford this season to watch Fernandes, who has notched 16 goals and 16 assists in all competitions. Madrid view the 30-year-old as a potential replacement for Luka Modrić, who is expected to leave the Spanish capital after the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Fernandes is under contract at United until 2027 and has the option to extend by a further year. As such, any permanent deal for the talismanic midfielder won’t come on the cheap at around €100m.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Emergency Edition: Bayern Munich loses Alphonso Davies for the season, Dayot Upamecano for “several weeks” (Bavarian Football Works)

The hits keep on coming for Bayern Munich.

The international break was not kind to the Bavarians as Manuel Neuer suffered a setback with his calf issue. Little did we know that injury would be the least of our concerns. Alphonso Davies tore the cruciate ligament in his right knee and will miss the rest of the season, while Dayot Upamecano has “loose bodies” in his knee and will miss up to six weeks per Bild.

Obviously, this is not ideal, so let’s discuss:

• How the news broke and why did Bayern Munich downplay Davies’ injury?
• Upamecano’s injury seemed to come out of nowhere.
• What might have caused this? The schedule? The conditions? Wear-and-tear?
• Where does Bayern Munich go from here and how it can cover the loss of two key players like Upamecano and Davies.