Daily Schmankerl: Cristiano Ronaldo headed to Sporting Lisbon?; Benjamin Pavard ahead of Noussair Mazraoui at Bayern Munich, but offered to Chelsea, Manchester United?; Benjamin Sesko looks legit; What did AS Roma do to introduce Paulo Dybala?; and MORE!

Pavard ahead of Mazraoui at this stage? Frenchman offered to United, Chelsea (Bayern Insider Podcast via @iMiaSanMia)

According to Sport Bild journalists Christian Falk and Tobi Altschäffl, Benjamin Pavard is open to leaving Bayern Munich, but the club is now reluctant to let him go.

Why? Well, Noussair Mazraoui has not quite won the right-back/right wing-back job just yet and Pavard might actually still be in Bayern Munich’s starting XI at this point:

Benjamin Pavard is open to leaving Bayern and Chelsea is an option for him. However, a move will not happen quickly as Noussair Mazraoui is not undisputed yet, and Pavard is still expected to start on the right side for the time being.

Chelsea FC is rumored to want Pavard, but if the Frenchman is in the starting XI as a right-back or a center-back, Julian Nagelsmann might push to keep the 2018 World Cup winner.

Falk added more context in Bild:

According to BILD information, Bayern professional Benjamin Pavard (26/contract until 2024) is not averse to switching to Premier League club Chelsea this summer. Apparently he’s just waiting for the right offer.

(Pavard) has it more difficult, among other things, due to the commitment of Matthijs de Ligt (22): The already dissatisfied Frenchman should toy with the idea of ​​leaving Bayern. Pavard’s advisor is his longtime confidante Joseph Mohan. Pavard and Mohan are friends with Max Bielefeld: he switched from “Sky”, where he previously worked as a moderator, to Zahavi’s agency.

This is how the contact between the Pavard side and Zahavi came about: The agent has no official mandate, but will “friendly support” Pavard in the search for a new club. Through his network, Zahavi could find a club willing to pay the transfer fee – reportedly over €20m – that Bayern demanded. Pavard is considered a sales candidate in the club, even if Nagelsmann praised him: “I hope he stays. He is a fantastic and important player.”

In addition, Sport1’s Kerry Hau provided the following detail (as captured by @iMiaSanMia) — including that Pavard was offered to both Chelsea FC and Manchester United:

Within the club, there’s disagreement and different opinions as to whether selling Benjamin Pavard would make sense. Hasan Salihamidžić is still keeping the option of selling Pavard open, although Julian Nagelsmann insisted that he wants him to stay.

Pavard was offered to Manchester United and Chelsea in the past few days. He’s not an option for United as of now, but Chelsea consider the Frenchman as an interesting option. For the time being, we’re still far away from concrete negotiations. Nagelsmann could continue to use Pavard in the right-back position depending on how Noussair Mazraoui will fare in the coming weeks. Nagelsmann is a fan of the Frenchman’s solidity and reliability.

Wanner as a left-back? (Manuel Bonke via @iMiaSanMia)

If you are like me, you have probably looked at the Bayern Munich roster and wondered how Paul Wanner is going to fit in this season. The über-talented, future star has been moved all around in hopes of giving him an option to get on the pitch.

The 16-year-old has been patient as he as played a bit of central midfield, attacking midfield, and left-wing. Now, though, Wanner could find some field time as the back-up to Alphonso Davies. Depending on what formation Julian Nagelsmann runs, Wanner could be an option at left wing-back or left-back:

The coaching staff figured out an opportunity to give Paul Wanner playing time as backup for Alphonso Davies at left wing-back. The club had considered signing a player for the position - David Raum was discussed but in the end it was decided there was no need.

Tz journalist Mano Bonke added more context on the Tz website:

In practice, Wanner’s first priority is to get playing time on a regular basis. And the coaching team found a way to give the midfielder minutes to play: as a backup for Alphonso Davies (21) on the left. In the friendly against Manchester City, coach Julian Nagelsmann (35) sent his team onto the field in a 3-5-2 formation. Wanner came on in the 70th minute for the Canadian as a so-called joker or rail player — and did well against Pep Guardiola’s English star ensemble.

The greatest advantage of the German-Austrian born in Dornbirn: He is two-footed, so he has no problems hitting crosses with his left foot. In addition, he has an excellent shooting technique, which is why he regularly takes free kicks from the right towards the goal in training.

Wanner is one of the many reasons for fans to be excited about this season, but it is definitely hard to envision him getting any significant playing time based on how loaded the roster is.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 2, Episode 4 (Bavarian Football Works)

Hey, hey! I’m back and ready to chat all things Bayern Munich!

Apparently, I missed A LOT last week, but big thanks to Samrin for filling in. That said, I am ready to get yapping. Let’s take a quick look at the explosive talking points for this week’s show:

• Recapping all of the craziness that happened on the one freaking week I was on vacation and unavailable.
• Assessing what moves could happen.
• Winners and losers from the U.S. tour.
• Potential red flags for this season.
• Reasons to be optimistic for this season.

Ronaldo back to Sporting? (Sport 1)

Cristiano Ronaldo’s quest to join a Champions League side is still ongoing, but his old club, Sporting Lisbon, could offer the opportunity to play in the UCL — unlike Manchester United:

A year after his comeback at Manchester United, the superstar is looking for a club again. His advisor Jorge Mendes has been looking for a possible buyer for weeks - among other things, Ronaldo was offered to FC Bayern. But so far it has only rained rejections. As The Athletic reports, Mendes is now in initial talks with Ronaldo’s ex-club Sporting Lisbon. A spectacular return may be in the offing.

The Portuguese top club would fulfill one of the most important requirements for a change from “CR7”: Unlike United, they will play in the Champions League next season. Almost two weeks ago, rumors about Ronaldo’s possible return to Sporting were heard for the first time. According to a media report, the national player drove up to Lisbon in a white SUV – he himself described this as fake news.

Is a change now more realistic? Open. Ronaldo’s salary spheres are a major obstacle, and he is still under contract with United until 2023 and would therefore cost a fee. United had also always spoken out against a Ronaldo departure.

The 37-year-old should not be completely undisputed at Sporting either, coach Ruben Amorim has reservations, it is said. At Sporting, Ronaldo went through all youth teams from the U-15, turned professional and began his rise to world stardom. Before joining Man United in 2003. The club he now wants to leave again.

While the speculation mounts about a potential move, Ronaldo announced he was returning to training with Manchester United:

Huh? (@ESPNFC)

AS Roma’s over-the-top spectacle in unveiling Paulo Dybala as a new player was...puzzling. I mean...it’s Paulo Dybala, correct? Not Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, or someone of that ilk, right?

So weird:

ICYMI: Vote for Bavarian Podcast Works! (Bavarian Football Works)

It’s our pleasure to announce that Bavarian Podcast Works has been nominated for the “Best Club Podcast” by World Soccer Talk.

That’s right your (hopefully) favorite Bayern Munich podcast network is up for an award. While we are humbled and honored that we have not chased everyone away, we could use your help in securing the trophy. That’s right...you can vote! Help support BFW’s quest to be the best, by checking out this link and giving us a vote (or INNN will hunt you down): World Soccer Talk Awards — Best Club Podcast

Bear in mind, we didn’t nominate ourselves or anything like that for this award...somebody likes us!

We’ve put a lot of hard work into helping the podcast network grow and evolve over the years. We’d love to bring home the gold here and frankly we have not been this fired up over a competition since the Bunducksliga was at its peak. Voting closes at midnight EST on July 31, 2022. (Direct link: https://worldsoccertalk.com/best-club-podcast-2022-world-soccer-talk-awards)

THERE ARE JUST TWO DAYS LEFT, COME ON LADS WE CAN DO THIS!

Gunners looking to unleash Sané? (Football London)

The rumors linking Arsenal FC to Bayern Munich star Leroy Sané persist, but it remains doubtful that the Bavarians would sell the Germany international. Regardless, some folks are pointing toward Sané’s relationship with Mikel Arteta as a primary driver why the player might want to play in London:

Bayern are reportedly not looking to sell, but Arsenal are in the market for attacking reinforcements, with links to Cody Gakpo from PSV and Lucas Paqueta from Lyon. And if Sane’s previous comments are anything to go by, he would relish linking up with Arteta again.

Speaking to the Independent in 2020, he said: “I can just say positive things about Mikel Arteta. Since we started working together, he helped me a lot on the pitch. He tried to improve my football, he told me what I did good and what I did wrong, and he tried to work on it. Next to Pep, they both really helped me and improved me, to bring me to the next level. Even now, at Arsenal, for me you can see he’s doing a great job. You can see he has a concept, a way that he wants to play, a way that he wants his team to play, and obviously it will take some time until everybody really understands it. I think he will do a great job as a [head] coach too.”

Is Sesko the real deal? (@Transfersdotcom)

It is starting to get hard (phrasing!) to not get excited about Red Bull Salzburg striker Benjamin Sesko.

After scoring against Liverpool, Sesko’s stock is rising. While Bayern Munich’s acquisition of Mathys Tel might have closed the door on a move for Sesko, Manchester United, however is reportedly getting serious about Sesko — something Salzburg’s social media team had some fun with:

If you want to see a little more on Sesko, here you go:

Damn it...the kid looks like he is going to be good.

(Fights urge to start a #SeskoTrain or something of that nature)

Bavarian Podcast Works Preview Show: Bayern Munich vs RB Leipzig (DFL-Supercup)

In this episode, Schnitzel is joined by BFW’s Muller_Era aka ‘Swaz’ on what is her first podcast. Excited much? Here are the topics that the two mulled over:

• Thoughts on the preseason tour and the latest signing, Mathys Tel
• Overall expectations from the squad
• Some shade thrown at Teddy and INNN (those pessimists, ugh!)
• An analysis of the Leipzig squad, and a recap of their most recent game
• Bayern lineup discussion + team news
• An overall analysis, plus some final scoreline predictions

Bundesliga site gives five reasons Leipzig will beat Bayern and vice versa (Bundesliga.com)

Bundesliga.com has compiled five reasons that RB Leipzig will knock Bayern Munich off in the DFL-Supercup. I used their heading and summarized the context for easy reading:

1) Christopher Nkunku: Nkunku is one of the most exciting players in the league.

2) That winning feeling: The squad is confident after winning the DFB-Pokal.

3) Riding a Tedesco wave: Domenico Tedesco stabilized RB Leipzig last season...can he improve upon that?

4) Home advantage: RB Leipzig is the home team in the match.

5) Keeping the band together: Die Roten Bullen has not undergone all that many changes to its squad this summer, so consistency and familiarity will be an advantage.

Conversely, Bundesliga,com also listed five reasons why Bayern Munich will win:

1) Sadio Mané: The new guy is expected to provide a boost.

2) Season winners, new additions: Bundesliga.com thinks Bayern Munich has a solid mix on its roster of old and new.

3) Nagelsmann’s Leipzig know-how: Julian Nagelsmann will know how to attack his former club.

4) Bayern’s Supercup experience: The Bavarians have “been there, done that” when it comes to the season opener.

5) Revving up the Bundesliga engines: Bayern Munich will want a good showing before starting league play.

Friends no more? (@FCBayernEN)

Why did Joshua Kimmich have to do his ol’ buddy Serge Gnabry like that?