Daily Schmankerl: PSG making its play for Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski?; Bayern spurned Alvaro Morata move; Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe butting heads over Neymar?; FC Barcelona making deals?; A giant, inflatable pretzel; and MORE!

PSG to get serious with Lewy pursuit? (Get Spanish Football News)

With FC Barcelona’s pursuit of Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski stalled, Paris Saint-Germain could be looking to take advantage of an opportunity to try and convince the Poland international why he should make the move to France:

According to AS via Foot Mercato, new PSG sporting advisor Luis Campos wants to sign Barcelona target Robert Lewandowski. Although the Bayern Munich player still wants to join Barcelona, PSG are keeping a close eye on the Polish striker, who is one of Campos’ targets to strengthen the Ligue 1 side’s forward line.

The operation is expected to be difficult, as relations between Bayern and PSG are not entirely fluid and Lewandowski has publicly expressed his desire to join Barça. On Thursday, Barcelona president Joan Laporta spoke about Lewandowski: “We made an offer to Bayern to sign Lewandowski and we are waiting for their response. I hope their response is positive. I want to thank Lewandowski here in public for what he is doing to join us.”

Bayern spurned Morata move (Sport1 )

This is one is kind of....crazy.

According to Sport1 journalist Kerry Hau, Bayern Munich was offered Atletico Madrid striker Alvaro Morata, but the club did not consider the Spaniard to be a suitable replacement for Bayern Munich.

Bayern Munich rejecting a move for Morata is not surprising, but how quiet this story stayed for a few weeks certainly is:

A few years ago they would have loved him – now, however, a transfer from Álvaro Morata is not an issue for those responsible at FC Bayern. As SPORT1 learned, the Spanish national striker was offered to the German record champions a few weeks ago as a successor to Robert Lewandowski, who was willing to change.

But for the people of Munich it was quickly clear that they did not want to go into concrete talks with the player side and Morata’s employer Atlético Madrid. Numbers were therefore not even discussed.

Bayern Munich’s ability to not just grab the flashiest name and hope for the best is commendable here. The club has dug in with its stance on Lewandowski and might not waver.

Over at FC Barcelona, players are openly talking about Lewandowski’s desire to join the club (as captured by Football Espana).

It will come as no surprise to any of Barcelona’s players that the press are clamoring for opinions on any of their signings, real or potential, this summer. What was a little more surprising was that Ferran Torres did not brush off the question.

“We know that Lewandowski wants to come to Barcelona. We know the player he is and the goals that he has been scoring in recent seasons. Let’s see what agreement Bayern and Barcelona can come to,” Ferran Torres told Mundo Deportivo.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast — Season 2, Episode 1 (Bavarian Football Works)

What seemed like a crazy notion last weekend, looks like it could be very close to happening — Bayern Munich and Juventus center-back Matthijs de Ligt could finally be getting together.

What does this mean for the club? Where does he fit? Who will be affected if De Ligt walks through the gates on Säbener Straße? We’ll talk through all of that and MORE! Here is what we have on tap:

• A quick aside about the award nomination for BFW’s podcast network.
• A deep dive into the possible move for De Ligt.
• Why waiting for Konrad Laimer might not be a bad thing, but would limit Julian Nagelsmann’s ability to tinker.
• What will Bayern Munich do with some of its prized youngsters this season?
• What if Robert Lewandowski stays with the club for this season?

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

Messi-Mbappe arguing over Neymar? (Sport Bild)

Jeez...talk about FC Hollywood — Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe might be battling over the future of Neymar:

Thick air in Paris! According to the Spanish sports newspaper “Mundo Deportivo”, Paris Saint-Germain is said to have had a fight between the two superstars Kylian Mbappé (23) and Lionel Messi (35). The reason for the dispute: Neymar (30)!

After extending his contract, Mbappé is said to have more power in the Ligue 1 champions’ team. He should now have a certain say in transfers and the composition of the squad. Mbappé is said to have recently spoken out in favor of selling Neymar. The Brazilian is no longer considered untouchable by PSG club management, and a sale in the summer should be an option.

And that’s exactly what Neymar’s buddy Messi is said to have upset. According to the report, there was a dispute between him and Mbappé. Messi therefore wants Neymar to continue playing for PSG and remain one of the team’s leaders. Neymar and Messi are considered great friends – not only on the pitch, but both should get along well in private.

PSG boss Nasser Al-Khelaifi (48) recently emphasized that Mbappé would not decide who had to leave the club, but his opinion would be heard and valued. His tough announcement to the PSG stars: “Anyone who doesn’t fit into the project has to go. Some took advantage of the situation. Now that’s over. The goal for the next few years is to only have Parisian players in our team.”

Neymar has recently been linked to Chelsea FC, which would be a wild scenario. Either way, that squad sounds like a total dumpster fire.

A giant inflatable pretzel...say no more! (@UnusualEfforts)

My guy Phillip Quinn found this gem from Germany’s big 4-0 win over Denmark in the Women’s Euros on Friday:

Bayern Munich Frauen players Lina Magull and Lea Schuller had goals for Germany, while Magull and Sydney Lohmann has assists for the Germans. Magull was named “Player of the Match”:

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)

Frauen jersey exchange (@FCBayernUS)

This was pretty cool. After Sarah Zadrazil (she’s the best!) and Georgia Stanway faced off during England’s 1-0 victory over Austria at the Women’s European Championships, they duo met up to swap jerseys:

NUFC still trying to get Diaby (Sport1)

Newcastle United is dying to give someone a lot of money...who will it be? The Premier League club has its eyes on Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby:

Newcastle United are still trying their best to bring Moussa Diaby into the Premier League from Bayer Leverkusen after all. Newcastle is even ready to break its own transfer record. This is currently 44 million euros, which the Magpies paid for Hoffenheim’s Joelinton in 2019.

However, Diaby’s market value is estimated at €60m and Bayer are keen to keep the 22-year-old, whose contract runs until 2025. The nouveau riche sheik club from the north of England should therefore consider Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Gordon from Everton FC as alternatives.

Barca making moves...Dembélé? Raphinha? (@FabrizioRomano)

Is FC Barcelona moving on from its pursuit of Robert Lewandowski...or is the club simply bolstering its ranks in hopes it can create an offensive juggernaut when the Poland international arrives?

It looks like the Catalans will reach a deal with Ousmane Dembélé and could also be in the mix for Leeds United forward — and one-time Bayern Munich transfer target — Raphinha. It can be assumed, however, that one move might cancel out the other between Dembélé and Raphinha for FC Barcelona:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Flagship Show — Season 5, Episode 1 (Bavarian Football Works)

July is here, and Bayern Munich have once again been linked with Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar almost certainly wants to leave Manchester United this summer, and some parts of the fanbase think that Bayern should be happy to oblige. But is that a good idea? Meanwhile, there have been reports in the past week that Julian Nagelsmann wants to transition his team into a 4-3-3 formation for the upcoming season. With players already arriving for preseason, the coach’s tactical choices are once again under scrutiny.

In this episode, INNN and Tom discuss:

• The big Ronaldo news — is it a plausible transfer for Bayern Munich?
• What does CR7 bring to Bayern and the Bundesliga? And what does the club offer him?
• Is signing Cristiano Ronaldo a two-edged sword? Does his popularity bring unwanted attention?
• Concerns about CR7’s presence the dressing room under an inexperienced coach in Julian Nagelsmann.
• How would Ronaldo fit into a Bayern Munich team? Would he just slot in for Robert Lewandowski, or play a different role?
• Based on the last point, how viable would a 4-3-3 be at Bayern?
• The merits and problems with the 4-3-3, from personnel to tactics.
• How Thomas Muller’s role in the 4-3-3 formation changes everything about it.
• Would moving Sadio Mane to a false-9 role enable the 4-3-3 to work properly?
• Closing thoughts.