Daily Schmankerl: Tom Brady spends time with Bayern Munich players; Juventus wants Benjamin Pavard; Manchester United, Juve eye FC Barcelona’s Memphis Depay; Cody Gakpo likes United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona; & MORE!

Brady schmoozes with Bayern stars (@iMiaSanMia)

After downing the Seattle Seahawks at the Allianz Arena, Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Tom Brady had a chance for a meet-and-greet with a few stars from Bayern Munich. Serge Gnabry, Alphonso Davies, Jamal Musiala, and Sven Ulreich all took in the game and then were able to chat it up a bit with the NFL’s G.O.A.T:

I think the NFL and the crew at the Allianz Arena did a nice job preparing the stadium for the game. The contest itself was not exactly altogether the best example of what American football, but it had to be cool to have a player like Brady be among the stars playing at the Allianz Arena.

I’m still shocked that the Kansas City Chiefs — given their ownership’s relationship with Bayern Munich — were not one of the two teams selected to play in the game,

Pavard primary target for Juve (JuveFC.com)

Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard is going to see his name bandied about quite a bit from this point forward. After opening that can of worms last week in an interview, many major clubs have been linked to Pavard — including Juventus:

Juventus has been handed a transfer boost as they chase the signature of Bayern Munich star, Benjamin Pavard. The Frenchman will be pivotal to his country at the 2022 World Cup as he was at Russia 2018, but his future remains uncertain.

As he runs down his contract at Bayern Munich, it seems he might not extend his stay at the German club. European sides are monitoring him and Juve is keen for him to become one of their own.

The full-back has now handed the Bianconeri a huge boost after admitting he will like to try a new experience in another country.

Pavard’s future appears to be headed somewhere others than in Munich, which is a shame. Fans are being treated to the best of Pavard at this point after several injury-riddled seasons and the Frenchman is showing why he was such a hit commodity in the first place back when Bayern Munich acquired him from VfB Stuttgart.

United, Juve eyeing Depay (Adrian Sanchez via 90Min.com)

Manchester United and Juventus are reportedly each interested in FC Barcelona forward Memphis Depay:

Manchester United have made an offer to sign Barcelona forward Memphis Depay in January. The Dutchman wants to leave and has also attracted interest from Juventus. (Adrian Sanchez)

Depay has been battling a thigh injury of late, but also saw his role with Barca reduced earlier in the season.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 2, Episode 19 (Bavarian Football Works)

Former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick named his squad for the World Cup in Qatar and boy, did it get people reacting.

There were some obvious choices, some surprises, and some head scratchers, but that is exactly why we are here — let’s react and hash out where we thought Flick got it right and where he might have gotten it wrong. Here is what we have on tap:

• An overview of the position groups and who the starters might be.
• Where the Bayern Munich boys fits into the mix.
• What some options are for Flick to look at in his attack.
• Why Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka should get the call as starters.
• Why it appears that Flick valued versatility?
• The surprising return of Mario Götze and the stunning — and possibly regrettable — omission of Mats Hummels.
• Also, we talk about Bayern Munich’s recent form, the impressive run the team is on, why it might take some time to get back to that level after the World Cup, and MORE!

United won’t give up on Felix (Fichajes)

Manchester United looks like it will make yet another run at Atlético Madrid’s Joao Felix:

The Portuguese midfielder has not seen a goal, he does not have the confidence of his coach and according to many reports and media the relationship between the two is completely broken. So, as a piece of information from Cadena SER now tells us, Manchester United has decided to return to the fray for whoever was one of its great goals in the summer.

The Red Devils already offered €125 million for him last summer, an amount that was rejected by the mattress leaders to sign this player. And it is that the rojiblanco team may have a new proposal this January, now lower, for the footballer whom the board considers key in the future.

In addition, Diego Simone does not seems fully onboard with selling Felix just yet — even though he and Felix are not on the same page right now.

Bayern not among Gakpo’s elite destination list (90Min.com)

Alas, Bayern Munich is not on the list of clubs that PSV Eindhoven star Cody Gakpo would be “honored” to play for.

“I think at the end of this season I will be ready to take that step. I feel like I was already that way at the start of this season, but after this season I’m even more ready to take that next step,” the Dutchman told NOS (as captured by 90Min.com). “Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, ​​Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool — it would be an honour to play there, but I also have to see what kind of team would suit me best.”

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Schalke 0-2 Bayern Munich (Bavarian Football Works)

Well that’s it. Bayern Munich have closed out 2022 with a 2-0 win over Schalke, a scoreline that is a lot less dramatic than what you’d expect when looking at the lineups of the respective sides. Julian Nagelsmann will be pleased with his team, as they controlled proceedings and never looked in danger throughout the entire 90 minutes. Now he sends his players to the World Cup in great form and a solid win behind them.

Here are our talking points from the game:

• Why the World Cup is the best chance for Jamal Musiala to get the recognition he deserves.
• How Serge Gnabry’s good form is reflected in his overall game right now.
• Why the formation change introduced an imbalance in the system, which was only fixed when Joshua Kimmich moved back into midfield.
• Rant — why Thomas Muller still walks back into this lineup.
• Appreciating the great attacking brand of football Nagelsmann has the team playing.
• Once again criticizing Julian Nagelsmann for how he uses youngsters like Ryan Gravenberch and Mathys Tel.