Daily Schmankerl: Transfer updates on Manchester City’s Leroy Sane and PSV Eindhoven’s Steven Bergwijn; Chelsea fans delight in pursuit of Bayern Munich prodigy Torben Rhein; a DFL Supercup prediction; and MORE!

A day pretty much devoid of in-Sane-ty (@SZ)

It has been a wild ride in trying to follow the daily ups-and-downs of the transfer saga surrounding Manchester City star and Germany international Leroy Sane. With Bayern Munich as the only suitor, the German and English media has had a laser focus on the story.

Still, even extended drama needs some down time. Aside of the minor blips on the radar below, the never-ending Leroy Sane transfer saga was eerily quiet.

Normally, when a credible, first-rate publication like SZ is declaring that Sane has “decided” on Bayern would set off the “Transfer Mania” alarms, but our good friend Christian Falk got his “Flex” on once more.

Pep Guardiola said that no player has requested to leave as of yet — not even Sane —and also gave a statement (as captured by kicker) that still leaves things a bit murky.

We have been trying for over a year to extend his contract. A few months ago, we were pretty close, but now the situation is a little different.

Bild is also speculating that Sane would wear No. 10. Regardless, the whispers about insane transfer fees and wages have at least created enough concern for most Bayern fans to take a step back and wait to see if any additional details emerge before hitting the panic button one way or the other.

As always, stay tuned!

Bergwijn on the move? (Transfer Market Web)

Rumored Bayern Munich target Steven Bergwijn looked like he might be on the move from PSV Eindhoven to Sevilla, but the Dutch club shot down Sevilla’s initial €25 million offer.

According to De Telegraaf, PSV Eindhoven have just turned down Sevilla FC 25 million euros opening bid on Dutch international winger Steven Bergwijn (21). Previously pursued by Manchester United, AC Milan, and Napoli, the 1997-born is still tracked by Ajax as well.

Lille coach didn’t expect Gunners move for Pepe (Inside Futbol)

Lille coach Christophe Galtier sat down with Canal+ (as captured by Inside Futbol) and said he thought Nicolas Pepe would have moved to Bayern Munich instead of Arsenal.

I was thinking of Bayern Munich because I knew Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben were going to stop. I saw him doing well in the Bundesliga, but he chose Arsenal. He has gone to a league, which is surely the most challenging, the most intense and more rhythmic. He won’t discover the Champions League next season, but we are going to follow him.

The DFL-Supercup: A prediction (Bavarian Football Works)

This should be the first of few highly anticipated match-ups between two high-powered squads. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have bolstered their respective rosters, but fans won’t be treated to either team operating at full capacity. Even with key players missing the game from each side, however, this should be a nice precursor to what should be a highly competitive and entertaining Bundesliga season.

Right now, I’d say Bayern is slightly ahead of Dortmund, but given the talent on both sides of the pitch, anything is possible in this contest. I’m going to look for the core group of Bayern players to be able to mount enough offense to crack Dortmund’s defense at least twice, while the Bavarian defense should be well prepared for the daunting task of slowing down the BVB attackers.

Prediction: Bayern Munich 2, Borussia Dortmund 1

ICYMI: The latest podcast has dropped! (Bavarian Football Works)

It’s been a while, but “We’re back...YOU KNOW IT!” Tom Adams and I broke down the International Champions Cup games against Arsenal, Real Madrid, and AC Milan, while also touching on a few Leroy Sane-less transfer rumors (life comes at you fast!). Give us a listen and go to the post for the podcast to drop in your comments.

Gbamin leaves Die Nullfünfer (kicker)

Mainz 05 just lost a key piece to its puzzle as Jean-Philippe Gbamin has left the club for Everton.

Jean-Philippe Gbamin leaves the 1. FSV Mainz 05 and changes for a rumored transfer fee over 30 million euros in the Premier League to Everton. The 23-year-old receives a contract with the Toffees until 2024. Gbamin had moved in the summer of 2016 from the then French second division RC Lens to the Rhine and completed since then 86 Bundesliga games for the 05ers.

Fans celebrating reporting of Rhein move (The Shed Ender)

Upon seeing the report that Chelsea was attempting to swoop in and acquire Bayern youth prodigy Torben Rhein, the English fans got a wee bit excited and vindictive. The Shed Ender compiled some of the reaction tweet and, well, it’s about what you expect. Here is a little taste:

Frappart becomes first female to referee major UEFA men’s match (Sky Sports)

French referee Stephanie Frappart will be the lead official for the Liverpool vs. Chelsea UEFA Super Cup match.

The Super Cup between Liverpool and Chelsea will be the first major UEFA men’s match to be officiated by a female referee. Stephanie Frappart, the 25-year-old Frenchwoman, will lead out a team of predominantly female officials on August 14 at Besiktas Park in Istanbul. She will be accompanied by Manuela Nicolosi of France and Michelle O’Neal from the Republic of Ireland who will be the assistant referees for the match. They also took charge of the women’s World Cup final on July 7.

Birthday boys (@FCBayernEN)

Sven Ulreich (31) and Corentin Tolisso (25) are each celebrating a birthday today.