Daily Schmankerl: Jerome Boateng in talks with Tottenham Hotspur; Bayern Munich among suitors for Marcos Llorente?; Arjen Robben is still the best; Liverpool fans want Leon Goretzka; and MORE!

Boateng has had “concrete talks” with Spurs (Sport Witness)

Could Bayer Munich’s Jerome Boateng be close to a deal with Tottenham Hotspur? It looks like the to sides are at least actively speaking:

Jérôme Boateng has been linked with several clubs ever since Bayern Munich confirmed the centre-back will be allowed to leave the Bavarian club as a free agent after this campaign. Tottenham Hotspur were among them and a month ago, Sky Deutschland reported Spurs have held ‘concrete talks’ for the defender.

Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, and MLS are among the groups who have been most closely associated with a move for Boateng. Given this will be Boateng’s last big contract, Tottenham Hotspur might make the most sense, but it would also not be shocking to see one of the Italian giants jump into the running, either.

Bayern interested in Llorente? (AS)

According to AS, Bayern Munich has interest in Atletico Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente:

Atlético de Madrid is negotiating to improve Marcos Llorente’s contract. The great performance of the midfielder from Madrid has led those in charge to adjust his contractual conditions. The interest of the most important clubs in Europe (Manchester United, PSG and Bayern Munich) in acquiring his services has also led to talks that have intensified in recent weeks.

This type of move would seem odd (and frankly doubtful) given Bayern Munich’s financial constraints. Llorente is under contract with Atleti until 2024 and while he would offer Julian Nagelsmann some depth for next season, his cost is likely not something Bayern Munich would want to absorb.

Robben keeping it humble (@ESPNFC)

Despite being one of the great all-time talents that the Netherlands has ever produced, former Bayern Munich star Arjen Robben does not feel a bit funny about riding his bike to work:

Robben had two assists last weekend and was named “Man of the Match” for FC Gronigen.

Liverpool fans want Goretzka, while Bayern “talks” to Wijnaldum (Rousing the Kop)

Liverpool fans would like to see the club make a move for Leon Goretzka:

Replacing Gini will be no easy task for the Reds. Liverpool should consider a move for Leon Goretzka from Bayern Munich.

The 26-year-old German has established himself as a mainstay of the Bayern midfield in recent years. Of course, the one concern with Goretzka is his worrying injury record. However, he could be available for a bargain fee given that this summer he’ll be entering the final year of his contract. We managed to snap up Thiago on the cheap under the same circumstances.

Goretzka has been vital to Bayern’s recent dominance, snapping him up to replace Gini Wijnaldum would be an impressive, ambitious move.

We all know that there is virtually no way that Bayern Munich lets Goretzka get anywhere near a transfer, so it would be very unlikely that Liverpool gets anywhere near the Germany international.

There is also the speculation Bayern could be getting closer to Gini Wijnaldum, but the credibility of that rumor could be questioned:

World’s best manager? (@90min_football)

Pep Guardiola sits atop the 90min.com manager ranking with Hansi Flick sitting in second place. I am probably crazy, but I still prefer Flick over Pep:

ESPN gets La Liga rights (World Soccer Talk)

It looks like the Bundesliga will have some more company on ESPN:

ESPN is expected to announce later this week that it has acquired the English-language and Spanish-language media rights to Spain’s LaLiga, multiple sources have confirmed to World Soccer Talk.

Expectations are that an official announcement will be made on Thursday with confirmation that ESPN’s coverage of LaLiga will begin in August 2021, according to our sources.

World Soccer Talk reached out to both LaLiga and ESPN for comment. Spokespeople for both organizations declined to comment.