Daily Schmankerl: Latest on Vidal; Hummels refutes report; and MORE!

Arturo Vidal talks timing of deciding his future (Onefootball)

Arturo Vidal, one of the many central midfielders currently rostered to Bayern Munich, spoke frankly about when he’ll make a decision on his future. Vidal told Fox Sports Argentina what his strategy will be this summer.

When my vacation has finished, my agent and I will sit down and evaluate everything. He’ll tell me what he can do, then we’ll choose, see and decide whether to continue with Bayern Munich or not. Right now, the only thing that concerns me is recovering from the knee injury and then we’ll take things from there.

Vidal has not ruled out a return Munich, but it sounds like both parties may be open to a transfer.

The Chile international has been linked with a move to Inter and Napoli – where he could reunite with former boss Carlo Ancelotti. His contract with Bayern is due to expire next year and SportBild reports that the Bundesliga would demand €50m for his services.

Mats Hummels refutes report on Joachim Löw’s bizarre World Cup rules (@matshummels)

On Saturday, the Daily Schmankerl covered some really odd (surprise, Joachim Löw does something weird!) rules that the German coach was going to put in place for his team while in Russia.

German boss Löw doesn’t want WAGs ruining his preparations in Russia, with players forced to ask for special permission to see their other halves and even their children during the build-up to the competition but they will be banned from contact during the tournament. Social media will also be prohibited for the likes of Mesut Özil, Leroy Sané, Thomas Müller and Marco Reus.

Hummels, one of the great Tweeting footballers, refuted the claim in a tweet while interacting with fans on social media yesterday.

While it remains to be seen exactly what official standards Löw puts in place for his players, there may not be anyone more conflicted than third-string goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, who makes the most of his time off the pitch.

Former Bayern man Holger Badstuber linked to Lazio (Calciomercato)

Holger Badstuber, who discussed partnering back up with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City last week, has now been linked to Serie A side, Lazio.

During an interview with 90min.de, VfB Stuttgart sporting director Michael Reschke discussed the uncertainty surrounding the future of Holger Badstuber. There has been a lot of speculation suggesting that Lazio could be set to sign the former Bayern Munich and Schalke 04 central defender on a free transfer; his contract with Die Roten is due to expire at the end of this month.

Reschke wants to keep Badstuber at Stuttgart, but knows the veteran defender wants to have a chance to play in the Champions League.

I am in contact with Holger. He would like to play international football again and is keen to explore different options, but our door remains open to him.

Bayern inks tourism deal with Istria, Croatia (FCBayern.com)

Bayern Munich is always looking to expand it brand and has announced a partnership between the club and Istria, a Croatian vacation destination.

On Monday 4 June 2018, the partnership between the record German champions and Croatia’s most important tourist region, Istria, was made official at a press conference in Poreč, Istria. Bayern board member Andreas Jung and Denis Ivošević (Managing Director Istria Tourist Board) presented the details of the agreement together with Valter Flego (President of the Region of Istria) and Kristijan Staničić (Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board).

Both parties were excited about the partnership agreement. Jung detailed the purpose of the deal.

We’re thrilled by the great hospitality we’ve experienced from the start. The professionalism and passion with which the tourist resort of Istra lays out its ambitious goals and plans is impressive. We’re very proud to be able to support our new partner and look forward to the exciting joint opportunities for our club and our fans.

Ivošević indicated that the deal was mutually beneficial.

FC Bayern München is one of the biggest clubs in the world and stands for the highest standards and quality, just as we do as a tourist region. We’re very proud to be an official partner of FC Bayern München and are very much looking forward to the joint projects.

The agreement was made with the hopes to promote the Istria region, particularly among Bayern fans, as well as the further positioning of Istria within the premium sector of the tourism industry. Other aspects of the agreement, include joint marketing campaigns for the region, and the use of FC Bayern’s digital channels, as well as special events in Istria.