Daily Schmankerl: ESPN details Bayern Munich’s €70 million offer to FC Barcelona for Frenkie de Jong; Manchester City wants Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland; Robert Lewandowski defied the odds; Futures of David Alaba and Sergio Ramos linked?; and MORE!

Report: Bayern wants De Jong, but Barca won’t sell (ESPN)

Earlier this week, we saw the “out-of-nowhere” report that Bayern Munich could pursue FC Barcelona star midfielder Frenkie de Jong. Almost immediately, it seemed “off” given the roster dynamics — and cost — that would come along with a pursuit of De Jong.

Still, multiple outlets chimes in with their own reports that Bayern Munich was at least inquiring about the Dutch international.

ESPN has reportedly gotten to the crux of the situation, however, and it appears that even though the Bavarians want De Jong, Barca is not inclined to sell off one of its prized possessions. Interestingly, ESPN even had Bayern Munich’s offer to Barca at €70 million:

Bayern Munich remain interested in signing Frenkie de Jong but sources told ESPN’s Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens the chances of the Dutch midfielder leaving Barcelona are minimal, despite the Catalan club’s financial woes. Bayern showed an interest in De Jong in the summer and were prepared to spend more than €70m to finally land a player they first targeted when he burst on to the scene at Ajax. However, despite the need for cash, Barca resisted the Champions League winners’ attempts to sign De Jong, refusing to even talk about the possibility of a deal.

De Jong, 23, has since signed a new six-year contract at Camp Nou and one source close to the player says there’s less than a 1% chance he joins Bayern in the immediate future.

So, what can ascertain from all of this? Let’s see:

• Bayern Munich seems to absolutely have had interest in De Jong — and if you believe ESPN, made a €70 million offer. Given his age and talent, that would have been a sweetheart deal for Bayern Munich; if it actually needed a midfielder (it does not).
• If FC Barcelona does not start selling off some of its assets, it will be facing some really severe — if not devastating — financial constraints. No one planned for a pandemic to cripple the global economy, but even in healthy times, Lionel Messi’s alleged €28 million salary is a little steep.
• Should Barca hit that harsh reality (it probably won’t), De Jong-to-Bayern Munich could eventually become a thing.

Man City might have trouble with its desire for Haaland (@cfbayern)

Get busy Flexxxxxxing or get busy dying. Sport Bild’s Christian Falk confirmed that Manchester City would like to buy Borussia Dortmund Erling Haaland, but the Norway international’s alleged release clause won’t come into effect until 2022. In other words, you won’t be getting him in January, City fans:

Lewy’s road less traveled to glory was not always expected (@FTalentScout)

Robert Lewandowski’s insane journey from the Poland’s lower divisions to Bayern Munich is well-known, but to show just how far he had to go to get noticed, check this out:

It’s safe to say that Lewandowski’s “work ethic and ambition” paved the way for him to overcome how many viewed him as a youth player:

Now, he just does stuff like this on the reg:

Will Ramos leave for the Prem and open door for Alaba at Real? (Bild)

Bayern Munich’s David Alaba seems more and more likely to leave the club and news out of Spain indicates that Sergio Ramos could play a role in getting Alaba to Real Madrid. Bild captured a report from Spanish radio station Onda Cero, which states that the two defenders might have intertwined futures:

Ramos would obviously like to play in the Premier League at the end of his career. With a good offer from England, the Spanish world and European champion is ready to leave his club, where he has been playing for over 15 years!

Should Ramos really want to look for a new experience on the island again, this departure could clear the way for Alaba. Because suddenly a big earner (over 16 million annual salary) would disappear from the payroll — and make room for a new one in his price category! It has long been said that Alabas’ dream clubs are Real Madrid or FC Barcelona.

There is a lot to work with there, but the point is obvious: If Ramos does opt to leave (doubtful), Real Madrid would suddenly have the cash available to pay Alaba’s lofty salary expectations — if it wanted to ignore its other financial issues.

Dodô apparently not extinct to Bayern (Transfermarkt)

Per the player himself, Bayern Munich reached out to FC Shakhtar Donetsk with an inquiry about 22-year-old right-back Dodô:

In just 53 games for Shakhtar, Dodô has managed 12 assists. As a result, teams from the top 5 leagues have been interested. “We only had official contact to Bayern Munich,” Dodô said. Last summer, Bayern were looking for a backup for Benjamin Pavard, but the €25-30 million Shakhatar asked for were too much for the Rekordmeister. The club instead opted to sign Bouna Sarr from Olympique Marseille for €8 million.

Instead of Dodô, of course, Bayern Munich signed Bouna Sarr.