Daily Schmankerl: Liverpool sees Bayern Munich Leroy Sané as Mo Salah replacement; Sané, Harry Kane, and Kingsley Coman recognized for efforts; Verbal blows exchanged over Lionel Messi’s latest Ballon d’Or; Transfer rumors; and MORE!

Liverpool FC continues to monitor Bayern Munich star Leroy Sané as a potential replacement for Mo Salah, who is considered likely to leave LFC next summer:

Liverpool have been heavily linked with Leroy Sané and they have been backed to hire his services to replace Mohamed Salah. Last month, Sport revealed the Reds are willing to pay a huge fee to sign the German international from Bayern Munich.

Now, former Aston Villa player has tipped Liverpool to secure the signing of Leroy Sané as he is the “perfect” man to strengthen the right wing position at Anfield. The retired striker told Football Insider:

“Wow, he’s (Sané’s) absolutely electric, he can finish with both feet – I think he’d be perfect for Liverpool. But, will Liverpool want to spend the money it will take to get him – or will they look at someone a bit younger for that price?”

The Kaiser will turn 28 in January and his current contract with the Bundesliga champions will expire in the summer of 2025. He is one of the highest earning stars at the club and takes home around £20million a year, £386,000 a week.

Sané won every major domestic prize in England with Manchester City under the guidance of Pep Guardiola and has won three Bundesliga titles since moving back to Germany.

Sané is reportedly very happy in Bavaria from a personal perspective, but sporting-wise, it remains to be seen how he views his future with Bayern Munich.

Undoubtedly, this is the Germany international’s last chance for a big contract, so this is a key period for him athletically and financially. Is life under Thomas Tuchel appealing enough to keep Sané around another three or four years after his contract ends in 2025?

WhoScored.com dropped this before Bayern Munich’s brutal loss to FC Saarbrücken:

Bayern Munich has had a week, eh?

After some brief optimism seeped into the general public’s feeling about the squad, the Bavarians went out and got “out-hearted” (not a word, but we’re going with it!) by 3. Liga side FC Saarbrücken in the DFB-Pokal in what was a horrendous result for Die Rekordmeister.

Why wait any longer, let’s dig into what is on tap for this week’s episode:

• A preview of Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker.
• Breaking down Bayern Munich’s devastating upset loss to FC Saarbrücken in the DFB-Pokal. What went wrong? How did this happen? Why does this keep happening? Is this team lacking heart and accountability? Let’s discuss.
• Is Bayern Munich planning to pursue Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz this summer regardless of a potential Jamal Musiala transfer?

Bayern Munich stars Leroy Sané, Harry Kane, and Kingsley Coman all earned spots on WhoScored.com’s Top 5 Leagues Team of the Week:

How good was Sané in October? Let WhoScored.com tell you:

Manchester United is reportedly seeking to bring in Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries:

Manchester United remain interested in signing Inter wing-back Denzel Dumfries, though his current value of €40m (£34m) could increase if he puts pen to paper on a new contract.

Dumfries, of course, was on Bayern Munich’s radar just a couple of years ago:

This is shocking. Bayern Munich have just lost to 3. Liga side 1. FC Saarbrücken, getting knocked out of the DFB Pokal in the process. Once brought in to save the treble, Thomas Tuchel has lost out on the treble for the second time in six months.

Here are our talking points from the game:

• HOW did that just happen?
• This result was not a fluke — Bayern Munich have been playing like this for weeks.
• Leroy Sané not rested again.
• How the Bayern offense floundered versus Saarbrücken, showing shades of Villarreal.
• Are there any more excuses for Thomas Tuchel?
• Losing Matthijs de Ligt could be devastating for Bayern Munich.
• Why results aren’t everything — a point proven.
• The unpredictable nature of the DFB Pokal and how Tuchel failed to plan against it.
• A recap of individual performances — Leroy Sané, Mathys Tel, Choupo-Moting, Kim Min-jae, Alphonso Davies and more.
• Tuchel out?

Mykhailo Mudryk has not quite taken off the way many had hoped at Chelsea FC (who has recently?) and Arsenal FC could be looking to give him a new home:

Arsenal could rekindle their interest in Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk as the Blues consider a January loan or even permanent sale.

When Lionel Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or, many rolled their eyes given the stellar season individually and with team success that Manchester City’s Erling Haaland had last season.

When Lothar Matthäus decided to criticize the result, Di Maria hustled to social media to thumb out a response — and play caddy to Messi once again:

Bayern Munich picked up a pair of wins, one against Galatasaray in the Champions League and a particularly eventful one against Darmstadt in the Bundesliga this week.

The week saw the attack click together again, with some top-notch link-up between the players, as well as some solid defensive and goalkeeping performances. However, it leaves Bayern in a lurch as Joshua Kimmich has now picked up a three-game suspension, which takes him out of contention for the upcoming game against Borussia Dortmund. Included in this episode:

• Bayern’s midfield problems in the absence of Joshua Kimmich and potentially Leon Goretzka.
• How the attack has found its feet, particularly the upward trajectory of Harry Kane and how he has begun changing games, as well as Leroy Sané’s continued form as amongst the top players in the world.
• How Thomas Tuchel’s ‘game of two halves’ approach to matches might backfire in more important games.
• Is Tuchel a fraud or the real deal?
• The DFB-Pokal game and why Bayern should not underestimate their upcoming opposition.
• A short look at Bayern’s title rivals — namely Bayer Leverkusen.
• Why Borussia Dortmund might bottle it again.