Daily Schmankerl: Bayern Munich and Chelsea discussing Kingsley Coman swap for USMNT’s Christian Pulisic?; Thomas Tuchel waiting for Germany job?; Mats Hummels wants a new deal with Borussia Dortmund; Cristiano Ronaldo denies Saudi rumors; & MORE!

Coman for Pulisic swap deal on the table? (Caught Offside)

According to one report, Chelsea FC is considering offering Bayern Munich a proposal — USMNT star Christian Pulisic for France forward Kingsley Coman:

Chelsea have proposed a swap deal to Bayern Munich to sign French forward Kingsley Coman. Graham Potter may have to consider revamping his attack in order to be more effective in front of goal, and a report from GOAL (via SPORT), has claimed that Chelsea have proposed a swap deal to Bayern Munich involving Coman.

The report claims that Christian Pulisic has been offered the other way in order to tempt Bayern to offload the French forward.

Let’s acknowledge a few things here:

• Rumored swap deals are usually not the most reliable stories.
• Bayern Munich has not made any overture that Coman could be available.
• Coman and Pulisic would theoretically be trading once crowded roster of attackers for another.
• It is at least somewhat doubtful that Pulisic wants a move back to Germany.

Knowing all of that, let’s theorize a reason why the deal could work:

• Coman is looking at the recent news that he is in a positional competition with Sadio Mané — a battle he might not win even if he outperforms the Senegalese attacker.
• Also, it looks like Pulisic will never get a consistent starting role or even key minutes in London. Could a change of scenery work for both?

Realistically, this won’t happen. I am not sure either side would really even want this move to happen, but both players may not get what they want out of staying with their current clubs either.

Sommer won’t join United in winter...but maybe summer (@Plettigoal)

The Premier League is coming for Bundesliga talent, including Borussia Mönchengladbach and Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer — a noted thorn in the side of Bayern Munich:

Hazard calls it quits (@brfootball)

With his career in a prolonged tailspin, Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard has decided to retire from international play:

Hazard’s drop-off has been steep and sad.

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 5, Episode 23 (Bavarian Football Works)

Well, Germany are out of the World Cup, and as a Bayern Munich fan it feels miserable to see how devastated everyone looks because of it. This elimination hits much harder after the disaster in 2018, and it could have serious implications for the club season coming up, especially in the Champions League.

In this episode, Fergus and INNN talk about the following:

• How much blame does Hansi Flick deserve for the elimination? Fergus and INNN argue two different positions.
• What effect did personnel issues — especially in defense — have on Germany’s performance?
• How Flick misused his Bayern Munich core this tournament, especially Thomas Muller.
• Addressing the role of the DFB in this debacle.
• Should Hansi Flick be the coach for Euro 2024?
• Did Germany have a mentality problem at World Cup 2022?
• Did Spain knock Germany out on purpose by losing to Japan?
• Moving onto another topic — can any Bayern Munich player still win the World Cup? Assessing France, Croatia, Morocco, and the Netherlands.
• How getting knocked out early could be an advantage for Bayern.
• The psychological impact of early eliminations at the World Cup.

Tuchel lurking? (@dw_sports)

By now, you have heard that Hansi Flick is staying on as manager of Germany. In the period of uncertainty that occurred after Oliver Bierhoff resigned, it was unclear if Flick’s head would be the next to roll.

If Flick did end up getting sacked or resigning, it was reported that Thomas Tuchel was waiting in the wings:

In a weird way, Tuchel really might be a good choice for Germany at some point. His tactics and mind have never really been major question marks, but his inability to sustain relationships with players and his grating personality were.

If he was able to work with players in shorter periods of time, would that help him maintain a better rapport with his players? It just might...

All that said, I am fully on board with Flick taking another run at this.

Hummels seeking new deal with BVB (Get German Football News)

Former Bayern Munich great and 2014 World Cup winner Mats Hummels is looking for a contract extension with Borussia Dortmund:

As reported by Sport Bild, Borussia Dortmund’s Hans-Joachim Watzke and Sebastian Kehl will sit down with Mats Hummels to discuss a new contract. This comes after the former Germany international made the decision to stay at Dortmund.

BVB will sit down with Hummels in the new year to discuss a new deal. They hope to offer the defender a one-year contract with the option of an additional year. Hummels is the only senior Dortmund centre-back alongside Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck, who both joined last summer. The 33-year-old’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season. Hummels rejoined Dortmund from Bayern Munich in 2019 after originally leaving North Rhine-Westphalia for Bavaria in 2016.

Ronaldo denies Al-Nassr rumors (@Plettigoal)

Cristiano Ronaldo is a free agent and despite the allegedly huge offer from Al-Nassr, the Portuguese star won’t be heading to Saudi Arabia — at least not yet: