Daily Schmankerl: Barca backs off Adrien Rabiot; Javi Martinez to pen column; Turkish club goes transfer crazy; and MORE!

After De Jong deal, Barca backs off Rabiot (Fussball Transfers)

FC Barcelona may no longer be interested in Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot after its acquisition of former Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong. Barca’s exit from the bidding would leave the 23-year-old available for Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and Chelsea to battle over.

FC Barcelona have apparently put Adrien Rabiot’s interest on hold. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalans dislike the long delay of the central midfielder, whose contract at Paris Saint-Germain expires end of the season.

Rabiot wants to keep open all options for as long as possible. This includes Bayern, who had already inquired about a winter transfer. So, if the previously favored Barça withdraws from poker, the chances of in Munich rise. Liverpool and Chelsea are also in the race for Rabiot. At PSG, the 23-year-old is now allowed to train again with the professional team.

Martinez to pen monthly column (TZ)

Bayern midfielder Javi Martinez will author a monthly column.

Bayern Munich midfielder Javi Martinez will write a column in the monthly sports magazine Socrates. “The idea of ​​bringing readers closer to the life of a footballer from a very personal perspective fascinates me, there are many things outsiders can not understand or know,” said the 30-year-old Spaniard.

If Martinez is willing to write, I’ll offer up a “Guest Schmankerl” position for him any time he wants (preferably Saturday or Sunday mornings when the author may have been confronted by too many Belgians the night before. Belgian beers that is.).

Bayern re-thinks position on eSports (Bild)

Like Uli Hoeness, I don’t get eSports either, but I just don’t care enough to prohibit other people from enjoying them. As for Bayern, the club is evaluating its current stance against eSports and may be in line for a change.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (63), chairman of the board of Bayern, explained at the SPOBIS in Dusseldorf, that the club thinks about an eSport entry. “We have now taken a more offensive attitude. We have made an analysis that we will soon be discussing within the board and discussing whether we are not approaching this topic, because it could be interesting from economic ideas of the future,” said Rummenigge.

Turkish club handles transfer window like I view 12 midnight at a Pennsylvania bar (ESPN)

Somehow, some way, Turkish second division team Elazigspor acquired 12 players by transfer and brought in another 10 via loan in the final two hours before the transfer window closed.

Turkish second division side Elazigspor set a new record when they signed and registered 22 players in less than two hours on transfer deadline day. Elazigspor achieved the feat after negotiating an end to a transfer ban imposed by the Turkish FA as the deadline loomed. Incredibly, that was enough time for them to bring in 22 new faces, 12 arriving on permanent contracts and 10 loan deals.

“I’d like to thank everybody at the club who helped with this endeavour,” former Elazigspor president Selcuk Ozturk told reporters. ”We were simultaneously in talks with the FA regarding the transfer ban and with the players we wanted to bring in. ”Once the ban was lifted, we managed to contact the players and complete the transfers within two hours.”

Bayern Twitter account posts awesome video (@FCBayernUS)

This is really cool.

Bayern’s North American talent raid (The Barrel)

If you wanted to take a look at the trio of young North Americans that Bayern has brought in and how they fit in Munich, give this a gander.