Daily Schmankerl: Liverpool keeping an eye on Timo Werner; James Rodriguez to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus?; Why is Corentin Tolisso wearing a Bayern kit while lifting weights?; Women’s World Cup coverage; and MORE!

Sharks are circling around Werner (The Mirror)

Okay, maybe just one shark, but it looks like Liverpool might use recent reports of Bayern Munich’s hesitation on pursuing RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner as an opportunity to sign the 23-year-old.

Liverpool’s chances of signing Timo Werner appear to have increased after Bayern Munich cooled their interest in the Red Bull Leipzig forward. Bayern were considered slight favorites to sign the 23-year-old, but have reportedly turned their attentions towards Manchester City’s Leroy Sane, leaving the door open for Liverpool to make an offer.

One stumbling block could be the fee. Leipzig value Werner at around £50m, which both Bayern and Liverpool see as excessive for the player. The Reds have history with Leipzig having signed Naby Keita from the club last summer, and Jurgen Klopp clearly keeps a close eye on goings-on in his native country.

It will be interesting to see if Liverpool comes in with an offer on Werner or just plays the waiting game to see if Bayern is bluffing or not.

Lothar thinks James will join Juve (Bleacher Report)

Former Bayern great Lothar Matthaus believes that Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez will join his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus. As told to AS (and captured by Bleacher Report), Matthaus told the outlet of a conversation he had with James that leads him to believe the Colombia international is headed to Italy.

We had a conversation two weeks ago, during the celebration of Bayern’s Bundesliga win. I see him at Juventus. He is very close to Cristiano Ronaldo and told me that he was in contact with him and that he has told him that he wants to have him at Juventus.

Do you have as many questions about this picture as I do? (@iMiaSanMia)

There is not much to dislike about Bayern Munich’s Corentin Tolisso. He’s young, aggressive, brimming with talent, and seems like a genuinely decent person. One tweet, however, has opened a Pandora’s Box of questions regarding his choice of attire.

As you will see below, Tolisso is working out, but it’s not his dedication or commitment that caught my eye...it was his attire! Is he wearing a Bayern kit for a promo shoot? Does he just roll around wearing his own jersey? I am confused and I need answers.

Then it hit me....

Oh no! Could it be? Could it be that...(gasp)...Tolisso is a full kit wanker?

Does he wear his France World Cup kit to grab a quick coffee? Does Tolisso rock a mint Bayern kit when going to look at some flooring?

We need answers Corentin. No...we demand answers. We will give you the benefit of the doubt for now, but you really need to clear this up.

Side note: If you have never visited @Full_KitWanker, today is the day to check out their archives.

Carrasco update (Daily Star)

Arsenal and Bayern are both said to be making a run at signing Yannick Carrasco, but Dailan Yifang seems to be unwilling to budge on its price of €33.6 million:

But both clubs may be set to miss out on the Dalian Yifang star due to the Chinese outfit playing hardball. Carrasco has made it perfectly clear that he wishes to leave Asia after only 16 months. Dalian are said to have slapped a £30m price tag on the former Atletico Madrid star.

Hummels: A short commentary (Bavarian Football Works)

With the rumors circulating that Bayern is pondering a sale of Mats Hummels back to Borussia Dortmund, there are many opinions being throw around about whether such a deal would be good or bad. I am on “Team Bad” (non-Michael Jackson edition).

While Hummels might have struggled at the start of last season, he rounded into form to become one of the top defenders in the Bundesliga and was quite good down the stretch as Bayern secured a domestic double. My rationale for why Bayern should want to keep Hummels, however, has just as much to do with his competition at the position as it does his performance.

• Niklas Sule: Sule has earned the starting role and was excellent for the majority of the season. After an uneven start to his season (notice a trend), Sule emerged as the most dependable and reliable of Bayern’s center back options.
• Jerome Boateng: While I am probably one of the people who believe Boateng still has some game left, I don’t know if he’s proven to be as sound as Hummels over the past two seasons. Given his prior desire to leave, perhaps a move of Boateng, rather than Hummels, makes more sense on a lot of levels.
• Benjamin Pavard: The former VfB Stuttgart star did not have a great 2018-2019 season. He was inconsistent at times, poor at others. His versatility does allow Bayern to have an option to rest Joshua Kimmich or even move Kimmich around if needed, but Pavard’s season with Stuttgart left enough doubt to think that maybe he’s going to have some transition issues with Bayern.
• Lucas Hernandez: The former Atletico Madrid defender had to undergo surgery on his knee because of damage sustained from multiple cortisone shots that made the knee “damaged with porous tissue.” Hernandez is allegedly going to be healthy, but maybe a year of Hummels being a security blanket and rotational starter wouldn’t be such a bad thing. While no one is doubt Hernandez’s skill or ability to kick out to left-back and provide David Alaba with some relief, his durability does deserve some mindfulness until he can prove his knee is 100% over the course of a long season.

In short, barring Dortmund making an absurd offer, Bayern won’t get equal value for what Hummels is worth. It seems like a rush-to-judgement in thinking that a stable, veteran presence won’t been needed next season.

Then again, maybe Hummels wants the change so he can be assured of a consistent role on a familiar team. One thing is certain, though, should Hummels leave Bayern for Dortmund, the race in the Bundesliga will immediately be a whole lot more intense and interesting for the 2019-2020 season.

Gah! The Schmankerl is turning into Bavarian Fashion Works! (@FCBayernUS)

Werder Bremen’s Claudio Pizarro is rocking some pretty outlandish (but great!) plaid green golf pants.

Women’s World Cup rundown (@FOXSoccer)

If you aren’t watching the Women’s World Cup, you are missing some great action. Here is yesterday’s recap:

• Japan outlasts Scotland 2-1 — 90 in 90:

Lana Clelland’s goal for Scotland was tremendous:

• Italy overwhelms Jamaica 5-0 — 90 in 90:

• England squeaks out a 1-0 win over Argentina — 90 in 90: