Daily Schmankerl: Is Martin Zubimendi off Bayern Munich’s radar?; Frenkie de Jong leaving FC Barcelona?; Joshua Zirkzee to Arsenal?; Thomas Tuchel to Manchester United?; Kevin De Bruyne’s disastrous time on the ball vs. Real Madrid; and MORE!

Zubimendi might be off Bayern’s radar (@Plettigoal)

Bayern Munich’s rumored pursuit of Real Sociedad defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi might off.

According to information from Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg, a pursuit of Zubimendi might have been contingent on Xabi Alonso becoming head coach in Bavaria:

News #Zubimendi | The 25 y/o from Real Sociedad is on the list of FC Bayern but it was never advanced.

A possible transfer was closely linked to Xabi #Alonso. Currently, Bayern’s interest is not concrete.

Zubimendi is a transfer target for Arsenal. Bayern is informed about that.

Release clause of around €60m in summer. Contract valid until 2027.

All hope might not be lost on the pursuit, but Bayern Munich appears to be far from the favorite in this race.

De Jong’s future up in the air...again (90Min.com)

Could FC Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong really be on the move this summer? Maybe...but the rumor is always there...any time of year. Let’s check this report:

The never ending saga over Frenkie de Jong’s Barcelona future shows no sign of abating, with reports in Spain again linking the midfielder with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

The Dutchman was first tipped to leave the club during the 2022 summer transfer window, when Manchester United looked to make him the first marquee signing for then-new manager Erik ten Hag. But after months of speculation, conjecture and talks between the two parties, the Red Devils eventually gave up their pursuit and settled for signing Casemiro from Real Madrid instead.

Barcelona had been under severe pressure to sell players in order to address their worsening financial situation, and not much has changed in the following two years. The Catalan giants are still heavily in debt, with Camp Nou currently undergoing a €1.5bn renovation, and remain under pressure to offload players on high wages in order to comply with La Liga spending rules.

De Jong has consistently outlined his desire to stay at Barcelona, whom he remains an important player for, but Spanish media SPORT revealed in the build up to the 3-2 win over PSG in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie that if he opened the door to leaving ever so slightly, the French giants would be waiting to pounce.

De Jong has two years remaining on his Barcelona contract, meaning he’s likely to retain a high value this summer, and for that reason he remains one of the club’s most sellable assets. Raphinha and Lamine Yamal have also been linked with big-money exits, even though they both have important first-team roles.

Current manager Xavi has praised De Jong in the past and sees him as a key difference maker in midfield, but his impending departure in the summer - coupled with Barcelona’s ability to cope without De Jong during a recent period of injury - is likely to keep the rumour mill spinning this summer, particularly if PSG show an appetite to make an appealing offer.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show: Season 3, Episode 41 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich is making quite the late season run and BFW is here for it.

After dispatching Arsenal FC in the Champions League, the Bavarians are headed to the semifinals, but that is just one storyline surround the squad right now.

Of course, we are here to talk about all of that and more. Let’s take a look at what we have on tap for this episode of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:

• More feelings on the Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal FC outcome and what it means for the Bavarians going forward.
• Credit to Thomas Tuchel...look, he deserves it here.
• Have we figured out why Tuchel is having more success?
• Joshua Kimmich’s post-match comments were very telling and a sign that he really might be looking to move on this summer.
• Julian Nagelsmann’s status as the No. 1 candidate for Bayern Munich, while the DFB wants to retain him is very, very interesting. Let’s discuss.
• More rumblings on Chris Führich and now Bayern Munich might be the favorite to land the winger.

Zirkzee to compete with Havertz, Jesus (TEAMtalk via 90Min.com)

Arsenal might want to bring in former Bayern Munich striker Joshua Zirkzee to compete with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus:

The Gunners are keen to provide competition for forwards Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, with Bologna’s young Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee among their top targets.

Carro won’t comment on release clause (@FabrizioRomano)

Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro would not delve into the details of any release clause with head coach Xabi Alonso:

Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show: Union Berlin vs. Bayern Munich (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich is back to Bundesliga action as a road date with Union Berlin awaits the Bavarians.

After taking down Arsenal FC in the Champions League, Bayern Munich must now refocus and look to stay hot against a very desperate Union Berlin side. Thomas Tuchel will have some difficult decisions to make regarding his lineup, but the Bavarians should be favorites entering the game.

Here is what we have on tap for episode of the Bavarians Podcast Works — Preview Show:

• Assessing where things stand after the Arsenal FC match.
• A look at the recent league form of both clubs.
• Updates on injured Bayern Munich players.
• A guess at Thomas Tuchel’s potential starting XI and why it is likely we see a lot of changes.
• A prediction on the match.

Tuchel on United’s shortlist of candidates (Fichajes via 90Min.com)

Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel could be on Manchester United’s shortlist of candidates to become its next head coach:

Just who will be in charge at Man Utd next season is unclear. Thomas Tuchel, Antonio Conte, Roberto De Zerbi and Julen Lopetegui have been added to a four-man shortlist of potential replacements for Erik ten Hag.

Last name hurting Seb Ho? (Ransport via @iMiaSanMia)

Bayern Munich legend Uli Hoeneß thinks the last name of his nephew Sebastian Hoeneß hurts his chances to ever become manager in Bavaria.

“In my opinion, he has the disadvantage of being called Hoeneß at the moment. Because if he wasn’t called Hoeneß with the same achievements, we would probably try harder for him than we have now. Sebastian achieved a performance that I would hardly have thought possible. I always knew that he was a great coach and I also saw that in our second team. He also coached quite well and worked well in Hoffenheim. But that at his young age, with a relatively cheap team in Stuttgart, he’s playing a type of football that’s simply inspiring,” Hoeneß said.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Bayern Munich 1-0 Arsenal (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich did it! They really did it.

The Bavarians overcame doubters, at least one supercomputer, and anyone who winced when looking at the starting lineup (guilty!) to down Arsenal 1-0 and advance to the Champions League semifinals by an aggregate score of 3-2.

It was a magnificent effort from Bayern Munich that required full buy-in from the squad...which happened! Let’s get down to it and break down the match with Chuck and Marcus. This is what we have on tap for this episode of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show:

• Initial thoughts on the outcome and why this might have been Bayern Munich’s best effort of the season.
• A look at Thomas Tuchel’s starting XI — why we were worried about it and how the players proved any doubters wrong.
• Jamal Musiala’s position is becoming the new “Less Filling vs. Tastes Great” debate.
• Praise hurled up Leon Goretzka, Konrad Laimer, and Eric Dier.
• A rundown of the scoring and substitutions.
• Why this was a special night and was a well-deserved reward for the team.
• And, yes, Bayern Munich fans should have hope moving forward into the semifinal round.

Kimmich, Goretzka, Dier recognized for effort? (@WhoScored via @iMiaSanMia)

Contestant: I’ll take “Players who people wanted to run out of town all season for $200, Alex.”

Trebek (RIP): “These three players could have been nicknamed The Tool, The Fool, and The Mule by many Bayern Munich fans and observers over the course of the 2023/24 season, but came up huge in a 1-0 Champions League win over Arsenal.”

Contest: “Who are Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, and Eric Dier?”

Trebek (RIP): “Correct!”

De Bruyne’s tough day (@WhoScored)

Kevin De Bruyne might have scored Manchester City’s loan goal against Real Madrid on Wednesday.

However, the Belgian star also lost possession an astounding 37 times:

Manchester City, of course, went on to lose on penalty kicks.