Daily Schmankerl: Liverpool is ramping up pursuit of Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch; Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović might stay put; Atlético Madrid and FC Barcelona mulling swap; Kevin Volland back to Germany; Borna Sosa to Sevilla?; + MORE

The latest on LFC and Gravenberch (Liverpool Echo)

Lost in the current midfield mess at Bayern Munich has been Ryan Gravenberch.

As Leon Goretzka languishes on the bench, Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Tuchel continue to disagree on exactly what position Josh plays and how he plays it, and Konrad Laimer’s produces consistently average play, Gravenberch has been silent — which is odd for him after airing his grievances to the media on three separate occasions last season.

All along the Dutchman has been linked to a transfer to Liverpool FC, but now — maybe — there could be some fire to accompany all of the smoke we have read about:

Liverpool are again being linked with a move for Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch. The Netherlands international joined the German giants from Ajax last summer and, despite winning the Bundesliga during his maiden campaign with the club, was limited to only three league starts.

And now, according to journalist Graeme Bailey, the name of Gravenberch is one he is still hearing amid plenty of talk about the Reds strengthening their midfield ahead of the closure of the summer transfer window.

He said: “I do think they need this holding midfielder in there. The one I think to keep an eye on, guys, I’ve said this all summer, I think Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich. I think they might even do two, but I think Gravenberch could be one of them. He was waiting to see how the season goes with Bayern. I think he wants out. I think he knows there’s a role he can play at Liverpool, so I’d keep an eye on him, I’m still hearing his name quite a lot.”

Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna also had his own account of the news:

Finally, if you were doubting any of that, Sport Bild’s Christian Falk chimed in to confirm it all:

Vlahović might stay put (@RudyGaletti)

After strong links to Bayern Munich and Chelsea FC, Dušan Vlahović might end up staying with Juventus after all:

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 3, Episode 5 (Bavarian Football Works)

After months of speculation, it finally appears that Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane is making the seemingly unlikely move to Bayern Munich.

The final days here have been a whirlwind of “will he” or “won’t he” stories that eventually all faded away. Barring a last minute collapse, Kane should be making his way to Germany for a physical and could be presented at the DFL-Supercup — if things go to plan.

All that said, there was plenty to talk about, so let’s dig in:

• Why I am crushing a crow sandwich.
• Recapping the craziness that occurred on Thursday August 10th as news was flowing from everywhere about Kane’s potential move.
• How Kane will fit and why Thomas Tuchel’s biggest job is to ensure this move is a success. Also, some thoughts on what happens if Tuchel can’t make the team mesh quickly.
• What else Bayern Munich might be looking at in the transfer market and why some of the perceived needs probably are exactly requirements.

Barca-Atleti eyeing swap? (Helena Condis Edo via 90Min.com)

Atlético Madrid and FC Barcelona could be chatting a swap of Joao Felix for Ansu Fati:

Barcelona are considering offering winger Ansu Fati to Atletico Madrid in a swap deal for Portuguese forward Joao Felix, but such a bid is only expected to be made towards the end of the transfer window.

Volland back to BuLi (Sport1)

Kevin Volland is on his way back to Germany — and an aggressive Union Berlin squad:

According to SPORT1 information, Kevin Volland from AS Monaco will sign a contract with the Köpenickers on Thursday. Both clubs have reached an agreement. The fee for Volland is just over five million euros including bonus payments. First reported the picture .

A month ago, the 31-year-old attacker was linked to the Irons, who will play in the Champions League next season.

In the Bundesliga, Volland was already under contract with TSG Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen. In 2020 he ventured abroad to join AS Monaco. There the ex-national player completed 115 games in which he contributed 39 goals and 24 assists.

Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg confirmed that deal was in place:

Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show: Season 6, Episode 5 (Bavarian Football Works)

Well that could have gone better. Embarrassing doesn’t begin to describe what we saw as Bayern Munich succumbed 3-0 to RB Leipzig in this year’s edition of the DFL-Supercup. Thomas Tuchel was at a loss to explain why his team is playing such horrible football, so us here at BPW decided to do it for him. Spoiler alert: It’s the coach.

In this episode, INNN and Samrin discuss the following:

• Why did Benjamin Pavard, who wants to leave Bayern Munich, start this game?
• Can you even blame the players when the tactics are this bad?
• How Thomas Tuchel is completely neutering Jamal Musiala.
• What is going on with the midfield? Why is Joshua Kimmich playing so badly?
• In defense of Mathys Tel and the chances he missed.
• Can Harry Kane and/or Thomas Muller really fix this?
• Why this loss hurts more than usual from a marketing/exposure perspective.
• Harry Kane is an amazing transfer, but he could bomb because of a bad start.
• Extremely worrying signs from Thomas Tuchel in the post match presser.
• Is it time for Bayern to sack Tuchel? What options are available as replacements?
• Could any new transfers fix this team?
• Closing out with the goalkeeper issue — is Sven Ulreich good enough? Will Manuel Neuer ever come back?
• Was it a mistake to let Yann Sommer go? Should Bayern Munich have kept him?

Sosa to Sevilla? (@FabrizioRomano)

VfB Stuttgart Borna Sosa could be on the radar of Sevilla:

Timber tears ACL (@FabrizioRomano)

Arsenal FC signee Jurrien Timber has torn his ACL:

Could this spur Arsenal to take a look at Benjamin Pavard?

Bavarian Podcast Works: Preview Show — Bayern Munich vs. Werder Bremen (Bavarian Football Work)

Bayern Munich will square off with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga opener and as much as fans would like to believe that everything is rosy heading in the season’s first match, the Bavarians have a lot of questions attached to them.

Who will start? Is Thomas Müller ready to play? Can Sven Ulreich be a capable fill-in for Manuel Neuer? Which two center-backs will get the nod? Is Leon Goretzka ever getting off the bench? Does Thomas Tuchel have a plan?

Mostly, why is there all of this turmoil?

Those are just some of the questions heading in the match vs. Werder Bremen. Let’s take a look at what we will tackle for this season opening edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show:

• A scan through those topics listed above.
• A guess at Tuchel’s starting XI.
• A prediction on the match.