Daily Schmankerl: Fabrizio Romano chimes in about Cristiano Ronaldo to Bayern Munich rumors; Gregor Kobel to succeed Manuel Neuer?; Eintracht Frankfurt’s import from Philadelphia; Sevilla, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur eye FC Barcelona star; & MORE

Romano breaks down the Ronaldo-to-Bayern rumors (Caught Offside)

By now you have all heard that Bayern Munich allegedly held talks with Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and his agent, Jorge Mendes. You might have also seen the German journalists jump out quickly to refute that claim.

This furor, of course, was all sparked when Ronaldo lambasted Manchester United in an interview with Piers Morgan.

Now, though, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has provided his own breakdown of the situation.

“There were rumors a few days ago of a secret meeting between Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes and the Bayern Munich directors. I’ve been checking in the last 24 hours and my information is that there was no meeting,” Romano said. “Bayern sources deny any meeting – this has been the position for some time. They are happy with their attacking options, having signed Sadio Mané in the summer, and with top talents like Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman and in-form youngster Jamal Musiala. Ronaldo was offered to Bayern last summer, but there was no intention to sign a player of his age. He’s a fantastic player who’s had a great career, but Bayern have a different kind of project.”

The thought of Ronaldo suiting up in Bayern red at the Allianz Arena caused some fans agitation, while others were piqued by the chaos that would have occurred. Regardless, it does not appear that CR7 will have to brush up on his German any time soon.

Depay to Spurs, Sevilla, or United? @RudyGaletti)

FC Barcelona attacker Memphis Depay is likely leaving the club and has some big suitors in Sevilla, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester United, who are supposedly interested in him:

Meanwhile, 90Min.com captured this tidbit on Depay from Mundo Deportivo:

Memphis Depay wants to leave Barcelona on a free transfer in the January window having been denied a move away at the end of August. Tottenham and Manchester United are among the clubs interested in his signature. (Mundo Deportivo)

Has BVB found its right-back? (Sport1)

Borussia Dortmund has been in search of a right-back to help solidify its lineup and it appears that BVB has settled on Leeds United’s Cody Drameh:

According to the Daily Mail, BVB found what they were looking for at the right-back in the Premier League. At Leeds United to be precise. Cody Drameh is said to be the hopeful and is considered a great talent. The 20-year-old can play both left and right in defense and would bring important flexibility to Dortmund’s game.

However, Drameh, who is under contract at Leeds until 2024, has only played one of 14 possible Premier League games this season. It is therefore questionable whether he will strengthen Edin Terzic’s team in the short term.

In addition to BVB, Newcastle should also be interested in signing the defensive talent. With Kieran Trippier, however, the Magpies are currently well occupied. Transfers like Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens also show that Dortmund is the perfect place to develop as a youth player.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Oman 0-1 Germany (Bavarian Football Works)

Germany barely got by Oman with a 1-0 victory in a match that likely will not inspire a lot of hope from fans.

That said, former Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick did not exactly go out of his way to detail many secrets about what his squad will really look like when they finally take the pitch against Japan during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. While there was certainly a lot of ranting that could be done, there is no reason to unravel (yet!), so we kept the negativity to a minimum.

Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A rundown of the subs and scoring.
• A look at the choppiness of the offense and the shakiness of the defense.
• Why we probably had too high of expectations for this match.
• A look at where we go from here.

The Bayern Frauen have some decisions to make (@soccerdonna)

The Bayern Munich Frauen have some key players faces expiring deals:

BVB’s Kobel as Neuer’s successor? (Abendzeitung)

Could Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel be the eventual successor to Manuel Neuer at Bayern Munich? One report thinks so:

Manuel Neuer is still the undisputed number one at FC Bayern. The captain is contractually bound to Munich until 2024 and can imagine continuing his career beyond that. Sooner or later Bayern will have to find a successor for the 36-year-old.

According to a report by “Sky,” those responsible have recently targeted Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel. The Swiss is having a strong season at BVB and will probably also be between the posts at the World Cup. However, according to “Sky,” an early commitment of the goalkeeper, who still has a contract in Dortmund until 2026, is not an issue.

To date, Alexander Nübel has been Neuer’s designated successor. He is currently on loan to AS Monaco and has already declared that he wants to make his future at Bayern dependent on Neuer. It is still unclear whether he will return from his loan.

Kobel is an interesting talent, but Bayern Munich will have to sort out exactly what is going with Alexander Nübel before it does anything.

Aaronson to Eintracht goes official (@eintracht_us)

The juggernaut that is the Philadelphia Union academy has produced another talent headed to Europe — and another Aaronson at that.

Following in the footsteps of his brother Brenden, Paxten Aaronson will play in Europe for Eintracht Frankfurt...eventually.

Aaronson inked his deal, but rumors are already surfacing that he could head right back to Philadelphia (Frankfurt’s sister city by the way) for a loan assignment:

A loan would probably do Aaronson well. He is a dynamic, young talent, but definitely needs some seasoning. The Philadelphia Union would present a comfortable, familiar option for him to continue his development.