Daily Schmankerl: Barca and Juve eyeing Robert Lewandowski; Mario Götze to Hertha Berlin?; and MORE!

Barca and Juve are scoping Lewandowski (Tz)

It would not be a true Daily Schmankerl without an absurd rumor, so here you go, courtesy of Tz (by way of kicker): FC Barcelona and Juventus are both considering taking a run at Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski.

Citing sources in Italy, the report even has trouble convincing itself that it could even be remotely legit. Even Tz says this story is in the “realm of fables” or as we might say around here, Don Balon-worthy. Anyway, on with the rest of your day.

About that site news (Bavarian Football Works)

Hopefully by now everyone has had a chance to read John’s post about stepping back from running the site. John will still be a part of the team thankfully and you’ll still get all of his intelligence and well-though out posts, in addition to all of my nonsense.

What do you think for a new name: Arp Football Works? Bavarian Cobra Kai? Just kidding (sort of!). And yes, I know...you can add this move to the other in the list of things that went wrong in 2020!

Seriously, though, I definitely want to say thanks to John. He built an absolute monster of a site here (some would call him the Hansi Flick of BFW site managers — navy blue, dad polo shirt included!) with the biggest, broadest team of writers and podcasters to cover Bayern Munich across the globe. John is a massive presence here and I could not replace him if I tried.

Even better, he can’t even take the blame for hiring me, so you can’t even blame him for that! I snuck in right before he took over, but we have worked cohesively for the entirety of my tenure here and I owe him a great deal of thanks for trusting in me, giving me guidance, and allowing me to put my voice out there, no matter how outrageous my demented thoughts were.

The best part is that John will still be around these parts to write, edit, etc. That is huge for BFW as a site and for me personally. Again, many thanks to John for all he has done here to help the site evolve to the powerhouse it is today.

Anyway, you will not see much change, except maybe this. Like, this right here. We will get back to doing a Daily Schmankerl consistently. As a site, we want you to start your day here and check in consistently. We know having some sort of routine helps, so we will commit to giving you as a community what you deserve.

Officially, I start on October 1st, so I still have time to screw this up. You may want to check with your local bookmaker to see what the odds are on me actually making it to that date, let alone 2021!

As you can tell, we are off to a great start:

Anyway, as a wise chemistry teacher turned meth mogul once said...

Götze still wanted in Berlin (Transfer Market Web)

Hertha Berlin is still chasing free agent Mario Götze. For a man without a job, Götze is exercising extreme patience before making his next move and rightfully so. Citing a report from the BBC, Transfer Market Web also lists AS Monaco, Benevento, Fiorentina, and Lazio as potential destinations for the hard-luck 28-year-old:

Just linked to a move back to Bayern Munich, German attacking midfielder Mario Götze (28), a free agent after having parted ways again with Borussia Dortmund, is still tracked by Hertha Berlin, according to BBC. Besides, WC 2014 final game match-winner has recently been pursued by a bunch more clubs, including AS Monaco, Benevento, Fiorentina, and Lazio.

While Bayern Munich has said it is not considering Götze at this time, it will be interesting to see if the news regarding a potential transfer of Michaël Cuisance to Leeds United will open up the mind of Bayern Munich toward a move.

Phonzie continues to out-run the coronavirus (@IntChampionsCup)

If nothing else, Alphonso Davies has a lot of fun.

Cuisance could get a five-year deal with Leeds (Daily Mirror)

The rumored transfer of Michaël Cuisance to Leeds United could be very beneficial for the French youngster. If the move goes through, Cuisance is expected to receive a five-year contract with Leeds United.

While I admire the #StepOverKing’s talent and ability, I will miss his hype videos and anonymous trips to Disney World most of all.

“The king stay the king.”

Seriously, though, I am still processing the timing of this move from a Bayern Munich perspective. It just feels like a bad idea to lose a young talent with this schedule.