Daily Schmankerl: Cristiano Ronaldo seeks reunion with James Rodriguez at Juventus; Pavard and Piatek news; and MORE!

Cristiano Ronaldo would like James Rodriguez to join him with Juventus (Daily Express)

It appears that a former teammate of Bayern Munich man James Rodriguez would like the Colombian to move to Juventus. Yup, Cristiano Ronaldo is seeking a familiar face to bolster the lineup with the Old Lady:

Crisitano Ronaldo joined Juventus this summer - and the Serie A giants are reportedly hopeful of reuniting him with former Real Madrid team mate James Rodriguez at the end of the season. Ronaldo swapped Real Madrid for Juventus in a £105million transfer, choosing to pursue a new challenge in Serie A after years of terrorising La Liga defenses. The 33-year-old has hit the ground running, too, scoring four goals for his new side to propel them to the top of the table.

Despite signing Cristiano Ronaldo, though, Juventus crave more. The Champions League is the prize they want above all other. Rodriguez, meanwhile, is suffering at Bayern Munich.

The player enjoyed a fine first season at the Allianz Arena last term after leaving Real Madrid on loan. Under Niko Kovac, though, he and his team-mates’ form has nosedived.

And Italian radio station Rai Sport claim Juventus want Rodriguez - and feel Adidas and Jorge Mendes can make it happen. Ronaldo and Rodriguez both share an agent in Mendes. The 52-year-old brokered Ronaldo’s own move to Juventus in the summer, smoothing negotiations with Real along the way

As both men have a relationship with agent Jorge Mendes - and with James allegedly unhappy in Bavaria - this will probably be the first of MANY reports we will see like this. (Twists opens bottle, pours into coffee...)

Benjamin Pavard explains why he stayed with VfB Stuttgart (Telefoot)

Benjamin Pavard confirmed he had many suitors over the summer, including Bayern Munich. Interestingly, he also let it be known that if he is making a move, it will be as a central defender and not as a right back where he has starred for France.

Pavard’s versatility allows him to be effective at both spots, but it seems like he’d like to focus on being a center back moving forward:

It is clear, Benjamin Pavard was one of the revelations of the last world. Selected late, the Stuttgart defender took the position of right side. During the offseason, the player has confirmed himself to Telefoot: he had been enormously sought after. “I do not hide that I had a lot of proposals this summer.” Indeed, Bayern, of course, but also Arsenal, Juventus Turin and Borussia Dortmund closely followed.

However, this summer, Pavard preferred to stay in Stuttgart, even though the club is currently stuck at the bottom of the Bundesliga standings. “They came to get me when I was in Lille and few people believed in me. I went to join them in the second division. I love this jersey. “ The international side has decided to stay at the club, at least one more season. A start to the winter transfer window is not a priority for him. On the other hand, if he willingly accepts to play on the sides in France team, his wish in club remains to remain as a central defender. This could be a hindrance to a trip to Munich.

Napoli allegedly made a €35M offer for Bayern target Krzysztof Piatek (Calciomercato)

Carlo...you sly dog. Napoli - and coach Carlo Ancelotti - have reportedly made a €35M offer for Genoa striker, Poland international, and most importantly, Bayern target, Krzysztof Piatek.

According to Il Corriere Dello Sport, Napoli have already offered €35 million for the talented striker with Preziosi who promised De Laurentiis a ‘moral option’ for next season. Looks like it will be hard for Sarri’s Chelsea to secure the services of this promising striker.

Genoa director of football, Giorgio Perinetti, had this to say about the emerging star:

We are talking about a striker who has the goal in his DNA. All the goals have been scoring are no coincidence. His best qualities his the ability to always be in the right position, far from the opponent defenders. He is like a striker that used to play in the 60s or 70s. Goals do the talking for him. He doesn’t talk a lot, but he scores. He is a serious person, even in the last period he’s been very focused despite all the rumors and speculations.

Many scouts came to watch him in the last few weeks, especially from Germany and Spain. In Italy, every top club asked information about him. Genoa fans will enjoy Piatek until the end of the season. We don’t name his price, the price is made by his performances and we know Piatek can still improve.

Piatek has reportedly caught the eye of Juventus, AS Roma, Napoli, Bayer, Chelsea, and Barcelona.

The Special One will not be joining Bayern (The Daily Star)

I must have been asleep for a few weeks, because I didn’t know Jose Mourinho was supposed to join Bayern.

Jose Mourinho will NOT be joining Bayern Munich imminently if he is sacked by Manchester United. That’s the opinion of football expert Gabriele Marcotti who believes the Special One’s reputation would be too damaged. Manchester United have struggled so far this season with Mourinho under pressure after a poor run of form.

And he has also been criticised for a public bust-up with World Cup winner Paul Pogba. Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovac is under pressure but Marcotti doesn’t think Mourinho will be the man to replace him if the axe falls.

“I don’t think Mourinho’s going to become the Bayern manager in the near future,” he said. “I think if his time at United ends badly, and right now it’s more likely that it will rather than it won’t, I think he’s going to have to take an intermediate job before he comes back and takes a really big job. I think he’s burned too many bridges.”

Tell us how you would feel about Mourinho potentially joining Bayern.

A call for fan groups (BavarianFootballWorks.com)

We are trying something here at the Daily Schmankerl and need YOUR help. If you read my man Tommy Adams’ piece about his experience with the FCBNYC Fan Club (if you haven’t, SHAME ON YOU!), you could see how great the event was. So we want to highlight some of these wonderful groups that are out there globally and this is what we need from you:

• Name of the group
• Location
• Year founded
• Leadership (if you have people are kind of running the show)
• Meeting place
• Social media handles
• Pictures

I’d LOVE to be able to feature a different fan group every week this season. Maybe we can do it, maybe not...but only YOU can help decide the fate of this idea. Send your info to: barrelsportsblog@gmail.com