Daily Schmankerl: Liverpool will try to get Ryan Gravenberch out of Bayern Munich; Real Madrid lays down ultimatum to Kylian Mbappe; Chelsea, PSG eye FC Barcelona star; One Bundesliga coach won’t bend the knee to Harry Kane; & MORE!

LFC looks like leader for Gravenberch (The Boot Room)

Liverpool FC has emerged as the favorite to land Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch...but it remains unclear if the Bavarians will eventually come around to selling the Dutchman:

Liverpool were going head to head with Chelsea last week over midfield targets, and now, they seem to be battling Manchester United for a pair of midfielders.

Sofyan Amrabat has been strongly linked with a move to both Anfield and Old Trafford recently, and the same can be said for Ryan Gravenberch.

The Dutch midfielder has been linked with the two most successful clubs in English football, and according to Dean Jones, speaking on The Done Deal Show, the Bayern Munich star may be more likely to end up at Anfield.

Indeed, Jones says that due to the groundwork Liverpool have done earlier in the summer, they likely have the upper hand in the race to sign Gravenberch. However, with that being said, Erik Ten Hag knows Gravenberch from his time at Ajax, so that factor can’t be discounted.

Jones shared what he knows about the £25m midfielder.

“Gravenberch has links to Ten Hag. I don’t see that he’s exactly what Man United need, but you could argue that anything is good for the Man United midfield right now,” Jones said. “Liverpool have had the most interest throughout this transfer window. Coming into it, it was supposed to be one of the priorities, it was meant to be a June deal. Here we are at the back end of August and he’s still there and in limbo. Liverpool would have the upper hand in terms of the scope they have made on the deal, but there is always that Ten Hag factor.”

The situation surrounding Gravenberch is somehow complex. He wants more playing time, but Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel sees the 21-year-old as an an attacking (No. 8 or No. 10)-type midfielder — which are two stacked positions in Bavaria.

Gravenberch has been on good behavior this summer, but has already mastered the art of becoming a distraction by using the media. If he is unhappy once again with his place on the team, it is hard to think he will not hit the media again to vent his frustrations.

In a weird way, it sort of seems like the best case for all parties might just be a separation, but the Bavarians might not be inclined to make that happen...at least not until the price becomes right.

And per Tz reporters Philipp Kessler and Mano Bonke (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), that price is inching toward being palatable for the Bavarians:

Liverpool would be willing to pay up to €30m for Ryan Gravenberch. Bayern are no longer completely ruling out selling the Dutchman, due to his difficult situation under Thomas Tuchel.

Would you sell Gravenberch for €30 million?

Szczesny pulls out of running for Bayern spot...huh? (JuveFC.com)

Before Bayern Munich finalized its goalkeeper plans by inking Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Daniel Peretz, there was this bizarre story on Juventus star Wojciech Szczesny pulling his name out of the running for a move to Bavaria.

Huh?

Szczesny’s name had not been linked to Bayern Munich for over a month. Oh well, let’s check this out anyway:

Juventus can breathe a sigh of relief as Wojciech Szczesny has decided to remain with the club for another season, rejecting an offer from Bayern Munich.

Bayern is in search of a new goalkeeper following the transfer of Yann Sommer to Inter Milan. They are actively scouting Europe to secure the best possible candidate for the role.

Numerous names are being considered, with one of them being Juventus’ primary goalkeeper, Szczesny. He has consistently demonstrated his prowess and has earned a reputation as one of the premier goalkeepers worldwide.

Szczesny’s ability to make crucial saves for Juventus has been a standout feature, and his commendable performance for his national team during the recent World Cup showcased his world-class talent.

While Juventus is keen to retain his services, they have prepared for the possibility of his departure. However, Szczesny has reaffirmed his commitment to the Bianconeri.

According to a report by Tuttomercatoweb, Bayern Munich reached out to Szczesny with an offer, but he declined the opportunity, expressing his preference to stay with Juventus at the present moment.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 3, Episode 6 (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich is set for its Bundesliga opener, but there are still many questions that are unanswered when it comes to the squad.

How much longer will Manuel Neuer be out of action? How will Thomas Tuchel settle on playing his center-back trio? Is Benjamin Pavard going to leave before the window ends? Is Thomas Müller going to spend the season picking up scrap minutes?

Yeah, there is a lot going on. Let’s not waste any more time and get right down to it. This is what we have on tap for this week’s episode of the Weekend Warm-up Podcast:

• Looking at the potential transfer situations of Pavard and Ryan Gravenberch.
• A look at what is going on with the goalkeeper situation and why Bayern Munich seems poised to ride it out with Sven Ulreich until Neuer is healthy.
• Exploring whether or not Müller has a role on this season’s squad.
• How hyped are you for Harry Kane?

Madrid laying down law to Mbappe? (El Chiringuito via 90Min.com)

Real Madrid might be willing to end its longtime pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe because the club is tired of waiting around:

Real Madrid have warned Kylian Mbappe that they will permanently end their interest in signing him if he once again chooses to sign a contract extension with Paris Saint-Germain.

It feels like this is either completely false or false bravado. Either way, Real Madrid would not turn down Mbappe.

“Harry who?” — Baumgart (Soccernet)

Do not count FC Köln manager Steffen Baumgart among those who might be inclined to bend the knee to Harry Kane and Bayern Munich:

FC Köln head coach, Steffen Baumgart, has weighed in on the debate surrounding the impact of new signings on the Bundesliga, asserting that Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface holds more promise than Bayern Munich’s marquee addition, Harry Kane, Soccernet.ng reports.

Kane, who made a high-profile multi-million euro move from Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern Munich in the ongoing transfer window, had been hailed as a potential game-changer for the league. However, Coach Baumgart holds a more cautious view, especially in light of Sadio Mane’s mediocre one-year stay at Bayern.

“Will he improve the Bundesliga decisively? We’re already at a high level. A year ago, Sadio Mane also said that everything would get better. Now he’s gone again,” Baumgart candidly revealed to Sport Bild. “You could see his quality, but he didn’t become the saviour that he was made to be when he was signed.”

Harry Kane’s acquisition marked a watershed moment for the Bundesliga, as he became the league’s most expensive purchase, with a fee reportedly exceeding 100 million euros. The Englishman’s move was orchestrated from his longtime club Tottenham Hotspur to the reigning Bundesliga champions.

Coach Baumgart, however, expressed a different course of action if given the financial resources of FC Bayern.

“Harry Kane is a player we can’t afford. And if we had the money, we wouldn’t have thought about him either,” Baumgart affirmed.

Quality humor (@jenkifoci)

The wife of Philadelphia Union star Daniel Gazdag had this to say about this pic of her husband meeting up with Lionel Messi after Inter Miami crushed the Union earlier this week:

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

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.

Union chief hammers Flick (@dw_sports)

It is safe to say that Union Berlin managing director Oliver Ruhnert is not a huge fan of former Bayern Munich coach and current Germany boss, Hansi Flick:

Chelsea, PSG chase Barca’s Gavi (Sport via 90Min.com)

Chelsea FC and Paris Saint-Germain are both — allegedly — ready to take a run at FC Barcelona star midfielder Gavi:

Chelsea and PSG have both reignited their interest in Barcelona midfielder Gavi, whose limited role in the team’s opening fixture against Getafe has raised eyebrows.

Hammers eyeing Mavropanos (@Plettigoal)

With its pursuit of Manchester United defender Harry Maguire on ice (for now at least), West Ham could be eyeing VfB Stuttgart center-back Konstantinos Mavropanos: