Daily Schmankerl: Did FC Barcelona think it could get Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski for €30 million?; Manchester United eyes David Raum; Barca wants another Chelsea player; How Leeds United will use Marc Roca; and MORE!

Did Barca think it ould land Lewy for €30M? (Barca Universal)

We saw the recent news that FC Barcelona was prepared to offer Bayern Munich a package worth €50 million for star striker Robert Lewandowski, but it is being reported that Barca was anticipating being able to acquire the Polish star for a paltry sum of €30 million.

€30 million....for the best striker in the world? Sure, Lewandowski will turn 34-years-old in August, but role players are changing teams for numbers like that:

A recent report from Diario SPORT has offered an update on Barcelona’s pursuit of Lewandowski, suggesting the club are confident of sealing the deal for the Pole for a little over €30 million.

The general consensus over the transfer saga is that Barcelona have had their €32 million bid rejected by Bayern. But it appears the Catalans are anticipating a shift in stance from the Bavarians following the likely capture of Mane.

According to Fabrizio Romano (as captured by The Hard Tackle), the next bid from Barca to Bayern will happen soon as well:

According to reputed Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona will likely submit another bid to sign Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window. The Polish international is also a target for Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain ahead of the 2022/23 season.

Robert Lewandowski has been a talismanic figure for Bayern Munich since arriving from Borussia Dortmund nearly eight years ago. During his 12-year stint in the Bundesliga, the veteran striker has been unmatched in terms of output, and he has carved a legacy that will be spoken of in the same breath as the legendary Gerd Muller.

€50 million? €30 million? Neither sum is really enough, but if I were to bet on this situation, it just feels like Bayern Munich will okay a deal with Barcelona if the Catalans can scrounge up a base transfer fee of €50 million, plus add-ons to bring the deal closer to €60 million — if Lewandowski or the team achieve certain goals.

Sabitzer won’t likely end up at Liverpool (Liverpool.com)

It appears as if we know one place where Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer will not go — Liverpool:

It’s been a difficult year for Austrian midfielder Marcel Sabitzer. The former RB Leipzig player spent seven years under the Red Bull umbrella, six years at Leipzig and one spent on loan at Salzburg, before finally completing a move to the big time with a switch to Bayern Munich just under a year ago.

The likes of AS Roma, Arsenal FC and Tottenham are all thought to be interested in signing the 28-year-old, but should Liverpool join the race to sign the Austrian? Sabitzer could reportedly leave for as little as £12.8m, and given the open channel of communications between Liverpool and Bayern in the wake of the Sadio Mané deal, coming to an agreement for Sabitzer shouldn’t represent too much of an issue. With the club unwilling to spend big in the transfer market this summer on a midfielder as they opt to wait for Jude Bellingham, Sabitzer could be a shrewd alternative for a year.

But with (Liverpool) seemingly putting the brakes on any new signings after announcing Calvin Ramsay, Sabitzer could end up elsewhere. With Mané sorted, Liverpool and Bayern Munich may well be stepping away from the negotiating table, at least for now.

ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 1, Episode 54 (Bavarian Football Works)

There is a lot of moving and shaking these days Bayern Munich and we’re covering it all here at BFW. This week, though, some of the biggest pieces of news were not necessarily always revolving around transfers. Take a look at the big topics we have on tap for this episode:

• A deep dive into the relationship between Joshua Kimmich and Julian Nagelsmann.
• A look at Leroy Sane’s extended slump and why 2022/23 might not be so kind to the sometimes dazzling attacker.
• The latest transfer reports on Robert Lewandowski, Sadio Mane, and Serge Gnabry.
• Ryan Gravenberch’s arrival at Bayern Munich.
• Some sad news on some of our favorite prospects.

United scoping Raum (@swearimnotpaul)

Manchester United might be taking a liking to Hoffenheim left-back David Raum, who had a great season in Sinsheim and also has starred for the German national team:

Barca eyeing next Chelsea player? (Sport1)

FC Barcelona looks to be set on acquiring César Azpilicueta:

FC Barcelona wants to attack properly in the coming season. The Catalans are hot for Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski and are said to have already reached an agreement with Franck Kessié (AC Milan) and Andreas Christensen (FC Chelsea).

Now, according to information from transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, coach Xavi has his eye on the next Chelsea defender. Accordingly, the coach would like to sign his Spanish compatriot César Azpilicueta. He should have a two-year contract. If you click here, you will see Twitter content and consent to the processing of your data for the purposes set out in Twitter’s privacy policy . SPORT1 has no influence on this data processing. You also have the option to activate all social widgets. You can find information on revocation here .

He is set to take the place of Dani Alves, who is leaving Barca after around half a year. The problem for the clammy Barcelona managers, however, is that Azpilicueta still has a contract with Chelsea until 2023. Accordingly, a transfer fee is due. According to Romano, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel also wants to convince his player to stay at Stamford Bridge. The defender has played 474 games for the Londoners in ten years.

ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works Flagship Show — Season 4, Episode 35 (Bavarian Football Works)

We’ve reached a point where there’s a bit of a lull in competitive matches for both club and international football, but there’s been plenty of news to follow in terms of Bayern Munich’s activity in the transfer market. They’ve already secured the signing of both Noussair Mazraoui and Ryan Gravenberch from AFC Ajax while Sadio Mane’s move from Liverpool is a done deal pending his medical later on this week. The trio of players have certainly been positive additions to Julian Nagelsmann’s squad, though we still don’t know what the near-term futures hold for both Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry.

Germany also had a slew (four to be exact) of UEFA Nations League matches that gave Hansi Flick a chance to make some adjustments to his squad and get a good look at some players that he hasn’t had the chance to do so for in recent international breaks. They finished their slate of matches with a draw to Italy, a draw with England, a draw with Hungary and then an emphatic win over Italy to close out that round of fixtures.

In this episode of Bavarian Podcast Works, Tom and Teddy discuss:

• The arrival of Noussair Mazraoui
• The arrival of Ryan Gravenberch
• The anticipated arrival of Sadio Mane
• How the three signings will fit into Nagelsmann’s systems
• How often we think the signings will play
• Bayern’s added depth
• Germany’s results in the Nations League matches
• Germany’s future Nations League matches in September ahead of the World Cup

NUFC nears Ekitike deal (Sky)

Newcastle United appears to be close to a deal with alleged Bayern Munich transfer target Hugo Ekitike:

Personal terms are close to being agreed with Reims striker Hugo Ekitike ahead of his proposed move to Newcastle - but there is still work to be done. Ekitike is currently having some time off after helping France U20s win the Toulon tournament. If terms can be agreed, it is hoped Ekitike will be on Tyneside next week for a medical and to finalise the move.

Dybala to Inter? (kicker)

Could Juventus star Paulo Dybala ink a deal with Inter Milan? It looks like a move to another Serie A side is a possibility:

As Italian media unanimously report, there was a lot going on at Inter Milan (last week) For example, the entourage of Milan Skriniar (27) and Alessandro Bastoni (23) made representations to the club that other addresses such as PSG, Manchester United, Tottenham or Chelsea have expressed an interest in the defenders. Paulo Dybala’s agent also made an appearance. The 28-year-old Argentine is available on a free transfer this summer.

ICYMI: Bavarian Podcast Works: Postgame Show — Germany 5-2 Italy (Bavarian Football Works)

For anyone fretting Germany’s recent performances, former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick had quite a way to make people feel a little bit more assured.

Germany smacked Italy 5-2 in a match that really was not even that close.

Die Mannschaft was dominant from the outset and never let up. Here is what we have on tap for this episode:

• A look at how the scoring went down.
• What looked different in this match for Germany as compared to some previous games.
• The offensive explosion fueled by Timo Werner, Thomas Müller, and others.
• A good showing from the squad’s outside backs.
• Why Leroy Sane needs to catch a break of some sort to get back in gear.