Daily Schmankerl: Real Madrid and Liverpool battling for David Alaba; Bayer Leverkusen out on Milot Rashica; Bayern II drops derby vs 1860; Arsenal’s Özil is still in limbo; and MORE!

Madrid still leads LFC on Alaba (Football Transfer Tavern)

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano hooked up with Football Transfer Tavern to talk about Bayern Munich defender David Alaba. While Romano did not exactly break any news, he did offer up where everything currently stands as Real Madrid and Liverpool remain the top contenders to sign the Austrian:

“I can mention also opportunities like David Alaba. For sure, they are trying for David Alaba as a free agent,” said Zahavi. “As I say they are trying also with an important bid, they are in contact with his agent. They are among the five clubs trying for David Alaba but Real Madrid are leading the race so it’s difficult in this moment, but Liverpool are trying.”

“He’s an amazing player and it’s normal that his manager Pini Zahavi is working, talking with many clubs from Premier League, with Liverpool, from La Liga with Real Madrid, from Bayern Munich because Bayern Munich has old people around the club saying they are trying really to keep him, they made an important bid. What Alaba is asking for is €12m per season as salary, with add-ons. So it’s a big salary and you have to pay commissions, huge commissions, to the agent when you sign these kind of free agents so it’s not so easy to find the agreement. But at the moment, Madrid are leading the race. They are talking with the agent, the player has always had the dream of playing for Read Madrid, he has the dream of the Bernabeu.”

So, as much Alaba might want to settle his future (his play has clearly been affected), his agent’s fees are one of the major hang-ups on a deal getting done.

Bayern II drops a tough one (Bavarian Football Works)

If you missed the Bayern Munich II vs. TSV 1860 Munich 3.Liga match yesterday, it was eventful to say the least. The game was physical and played with heightened intensity.

Joshua Zirkzee made it worse when he was issued a red card in the 28th minute for kicking 1860 Munich goalkeeper Marco Hiller in the face. More, Timo Kern had an unfortunate own goal for Bayern Munich II, which really put the youngsters in a bind.

The final score ended up 2-0, but it was hard to be overly disappointed in Bayern Munich II considering the incredibly hard task that was in front of them. Playing for just over 60 minutes with 10 players was likely never going to lend itself to a win, but we did get a chance to see some things:

• Tiago Dantas was solid on the ball and had some good ideas, but also showed signed of rust. More game play is needed for the young Portuguese player, but he has a lot of promise. And, yup, he is frighteningly slight, but he could potentially be one of those players who is not reliant on his physical attributes to succeed.
• Fiete Arp looks physically bigger and showed some good signs of the talent Bayern Munich signed in 2019. He had one sequence in the second half when cutting between two defenders that would have almost assuredly resulted in a goal, but he took too heavy a touch and Hiller made an aggressively play to leap on top of the ball. Still, we want (need?) to see more consistent production.
• Chris Richards also dealt with some rusty play, but overall was solid. A youngster like Richards needs game time and you could do a lot worse than getting it with Bayern Munich II. I hope he gets more opportunities to hone his skills in 3.Liga.
• Jamie Lawrence has potential for sure, but also will require some fine-tuning to make the jump to the senior-team. At 6-foot-7, he offers a different look on the backline.

Rashica not in Leverkusen’s plans (kicker)

Over the summer it was widely rumored that Werder Bremen star Milot Rashica was set for a move to Bayer Leverkusen. For various reasons, the transfer never materialized and now it appears that the ship might have officially sailed on a deal between the two parties:

Bayer Leverkusen is looking for a defensive player and an offensive winger on the transfer market. Milot Rashica (24), whose summer move to the Werkself failed at the last second, does not play a role in the plans.

Haaland goes full karate (@BlackYellow)

He might be wearing the black-and-yellow of Cobra Kai, but Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland pulled off some Crane Kick action while also dropping in two goals against RB Leipzig in BVB’s 3-0 win yesterday:

Özil still in limbo (Transfer Market Web)

Mesut Özil is still in the midst of a standoff with Arsenal. There were numerous reports that the former Germany international was headed to Fenerbahce, but those whispers have been awfully quiet over the past few days:

Recently offered to Juventus, 32-year-old German attacking midfielder Mesut Ozil, still not getting any game time from Mikel Arteta, might end up parting ways with Arsenal before the end of current market window. To this end, Gunners boss himself said: “Arranging the trade upon before the end of the month would be good for every side involved. As long as the proper scenario shows up, we’ll make our move. Otherwise, Mesut is going to stay with us”. Still on a deal with North London giants until June 2021, Ozil, playing for them since 2013/14, is mainly tracked by Fenerbahçe and DC United.

So, so good (@sid_lambert)

This is always worth a laugh.