Daily Schmankerl: Milan Škriniar eyeing Premier League move; Alphonso Davies, a trailblazer?; could Liverpool move on Leon Goretzka?; and MORE!

Milan Škriniar is eyeing a Premier League move (Calciomercato)

Bayern Munich target Milan Škriniar might be leaning toward a future in the English Premier League, but Inter Milan won’t make it easy for him to leave before the summer.

According to La Gazzetta, Milan Škriniar is really intrigued by the Premier League solution. The Inter defender is not for sale and he knows, but he does not sign a contract renewal because in summer anything can happen.

Škriniar, 23, is one of the young defenders that Bayern was looking closely at as a possibility to lead the next generation of the back line with Niklas Süle. The presence of Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng, however, may be a hindrance for any young center back looking for a place in the starting XI.

Alphonso Davies’ move to Bayern could create a pathway to Europe for MLS prospects (SB Nation Soccer)

Would Liverpool look to swipe Leon Goretzka? (Football Fancast)

Rumors are circulating that Jürgen Klopp may feel like he still needs a replacement for Philippe Coutinho. Klopp also allegedly loves Leon Goretzka. Gortetzka, when healthy, has been a steady presence on the Bayern bench. Could Liverpool make Bayern an offer that it cannot refuse? At least one site thinks so:

Liverpool were heavily linked with a move for German midfield maestro Goretzka in January, but the 23 year-old joined Bayern Munich in the summer. However, while he was expected to take over the helm as Bayern’s chief central midfielder after the departure of Arturo Vidal, the youngster has started just four Bundesliga games so far this season. Klopp is a big admirer of the German international, and he could be the perfect solution to Liverpool’s midfield woes.

Klopp and Liverpool are in a difficult position in the hunt for a Philippe Coutinho replacement, as they are very few players that can offer both creativity and the work rate required to play in Klopp’s midfield. While Goretzka is definitely not a like-for-like replacement for the Brazilian magician, his ability to break lines with his passing and dribbling could just fill the void left by Coutinho’s move to Barcelona.

Goretzka is imposing and strong, extremely smooth on the ball, loves scoring the occasional screamer, and has the work rate to function in Klopp’s high-tempo system. Put simply, he is Jordan Henderson with more attacking end product.

It is extremely hard to imagine Bayern selling off a player who looks like he could be the future centerpiece of the midfield. It is also hard to imagine that Goretzka is satisfied with his role in Munich. On the scale of Don Balon to Sport Bild, this “rumor” absolutely rates closer to Don Balol, but man, the reality of Bayern’s current state is sobering.

Can we go back on international break?

Bayern Frauen take 2-0 lead in Champions League tie (@FCBayernEN)

The FC Bayern Faruen captured a 2-0 victory over FC Zürich to take a lead in their UEFA Women’s Champions League tie. Sara Däbritz and Dominika Skorvankova tallied the goals for Bayern.

Per Mertesacker invited to join Germany advisory board (Evening Standard)

Per Mertesacker has joined the DFB in an advisory position. Frankly, these are the types of moves that a panicked organization start to make. Good for Mertesacker and hopefully he can provide some valued insight, but the formation of this committee reeks of crisis and/or uncertainty.

Arsenal academy chief Per Mertesacker has been invited to join the advisory board of the German national team by general manager Oliver Bierhoff.

World Cup winner Mertesacker retired from international football in 2014 having won 104 caps for Die Mannschaft. He would end his club career four years later.

Mertesacker is the third member of the group, formed by Bierhoff in the aftermath of a disastrous World Cup defence that ended in the group stage, and joins former Germany head coach Berti Vogts and ex-Adidas CEO Herbet Hainer.

Bayern gets yet another corporate partner with lighting company, Zumtobel Group (FCBayern.com)

Always seeking to ways to enhance the fan experience within the Allianz Arena, Bayern has partnered with the Zumtobel Group to design and implement a better lighting solution.

FC Bayern is pleased to announce a new partnership with Zumtobel Group becoming the official lighting partner of FC Bayern. The cooperation will initially last for three years, running until the end of the 2020/21 season.

Thanks to Zumtobel Group’s comprehensive lighting expertise, the Allianz Arena will shine in an even more resplendent shade of red in the future. The implementation of the complete lighting solution began at the start of the 2018/19 season and encompasses both the interior and exterior of the stadium. In the future, fans will be able to look forward to a new lighting design for the roof area, which will visually merge the spectator stands with the roof in the Allianz Arena. The lighting in the cascade staircases and the exterior lighting of the esplanade will be renewed in further stages.

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