Weekend Warm-up: Uh-oh, Tottenham Hotspur cancels meeting with Bayern Munich for Harry Kane deal; Could Benjamin Pavard finish out his deal with Bayern?; Matthijs de Ligt kicks knowledge; Throwing it back to Talking Heads; + MORE

It could be something...it could be nothing, but Tottenham Hotspur has cancelled its meeting with Bayern Munich that was scheduled for today.

Fabrizio Romano tweeted out his information on the matter, which really only confirmed that the summit was cancelled and that the Bayern Munich bagged their flight plans. The good part of the equation is that the meeting is going to be rescheduled for next week — and that everything looks to be in set in place for the Harry Kane deal to happen:

Bild’s Tobi Altschäffl also issued his own information:

Bayern managers Jan-Christian Dreesen and Marco Neppe are currently still in Munich.

It fits: An Embraer Phenom 300 private plane from Oberpfaffenhofen to London was planned for Friday at 10 a.m. and was cancelled.

It is not time to break out the “This is fine” meme just yet. Stay calm, enjoy the weekend, and get Kane next week...that’s a plan...right?

Right?

---

Could Pavard stay another season?

Did anyone think that Benjamin Pavard would still be with Bayern Munich at this stage of the summer?

For months, it had been speculated that Pavard would be moving on rather quickly during the summer transfer window, but here we are, barreling into August and the Frenchman is still part of the team.

What’s going on with Pavard?

It is hard to say, but part of the reason that the 27-year-old just does not have as many suitors as many expected him to be wading through at this point. Right now, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Juventus are — allegedly — interested in Pavard, but there has been nary a mention of Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain.

Those were all clubs that were supposedly going to have interest in Pavard. According to Sport1 journalist Kerry Hau, there just have not been any offers flowing in:

According to SPORT1 information, the record champion is still waiting for an offer for Pavard. The two Manchester clubs City and United as well as Juventus Turin are interested in the French national player and are also in contact with his management.

To date, however, not a single club has approached FC Bayern - which is increasingly causing astonishment and guesswork among those responsible on Säbener Straße. Because: After Pavard’s clear statement in May, his departure was firmly expected.

The situation is even more bizarre when you factor in two things:

1. Pavard was excellent last season.
2. Pavard starting talking about leaving Bayern Munich back in January.

With Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel said to be a huge fan of Pavard, could things work out for the Frenchman to stay in Germany?

It looks like a firm...maybe per Hau:

But now everything seems open again! A whereabouts of the defensive all-rounder would be conceivable for the squad planner and trainer Thomas Tuchel, who has also come out as a Pavard fan internally several times and even sees him in his favorite position in central defense.

However, Pavard would have to deviate from his original plan and extend his contract. Because: The Bayern bosses absolutely want to avoid a second case of David Alaba and not lose him for free in 2024.

As for those clubs in Spain that seemed to disappear, FC Barcelona bowed out of the running due to “financial reasons” per Hau. Real Madrid might not need Pavard at this stage, so unless something breaks Bayern Munich and Pavard might have to sort something out quickly.

If his “dream destination” of Spain is not a possibility, Bayern Munich might have to help Pavard get creative — otherwise, the Bavarians could risk losing him for free next summer, which is the worst case scenario than the German Rekordmeister.

Keeping Pavard would have its advantages — especially if Bayern Munich thinks it can win a Champions League. Let’s face it, you cannot get the mix of talent and versatility in that many players.

The Frenchman could play a key role in helping the Bavarians achieve all of their goals for this season, but then he would likely walk away for free.

The choice for what to do is probably tougher than you think — especially for Tuchel and the Bayern Munich brass.

What should the club do?

---

Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Podcast: Season 3, Episode 3 (Bavarian Football Works)

Ah...back from vacation and (somehow) completely worn down!

Hell with that, though, it is time to rap about Bayern Munich and all of the craziness that has been going on with the club. Let’s take a look at what is going on in this episode:

• Some thoughts on why Bayern Munich really might be in the final hours of life without a world class No. 9. A deal for Tottenham Hotspur star Harry appears to be in play.
• Why there is no way Bayern Munich should be looking to spend any significant cash on a back-up goalkeeper — even if there are some red flags being raised with Manuel Neuer’s recovery.
• Exploring the potential sale of Sadio Mané, the rumors about Leroy Sané and Serge Gnabry being available...and how that could all mean that Bayern Munich is looking at another big purchase this summer (even if this dolt if content to ride it out with Sané and Gnabry.

---

Song of the Week: “Wild, wild life” by Talking Heads

I’m not going to lie: I was on vacation most of the past week (you likely would know it just from BFW activity, though) and spent the entirety with one station on in my car: 80s on 8 on Sirius XM.

I am typically not a big fan of satellite radio (I don’t know why I just can’t dive into it), but I have a trial of it in the car I’ve got now, so I am wearing it out — mostly listening to 80s music.

I could have picked any one of a number of songs that I heard over the past week, but this one was always one of my favorites. It much make some endorphins pop of good memories from childhood or whatever, but it’s an underrated classic.

Released back in 1986, I still love hearing this one when it pops onto the radio. Enjoy:

---

Keeping perspective — wise words from De Ligt

Another two Bayern Munich players, who —like Benjamin Pavard — were looking to leave the club as soon as possible have also been stagnant of late.

Both Noussair Mazraoui and Ryan Gravnebech were said to be eager to leave Munich, but teammate Matthijs de Ligt said the willingness to leave a new club is nothing out of the ordinary for a player after a tough season.

“It’s not easy when you’re always a starter at Ajax and suddenly you go abroad to an even bigger club. You are no longer the top talent from your youth, you are a new signing who has to deliver straight away,” De Ligt told Sport1 (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “I experienced that at Juventus. I’m sure Nous and Ryan will have a strong season. They are currently training very well. Nous was injured and had heart problems. It wasn’t easy for him. But he has great qualities — just like Ryan. It’s important to stay fit and patient.”

Bear in mind that De Ligt is just 23-years-old and giving this kind of advice. With a good head on his shoulders, it is easy to see why many regard De Ligt — and not Joshua Kimmich — as a future captain in Bavaria. The Dutchman comes across as extremely mature for his age.

“I would just say that I have a calm and balanced life. I love my job, I love football, I love going to training every morning and spending an hour or two on it. After that I just enjoy being at home and spending time with my fiancée,” said De Ligt.