Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Germany vs. Serbia; Bayern scoping Alessio Romagnoli; Updates on Luka Jovic, Gareth Bale, Callum Hudson-Odoi and MORE!

Die Folgen: Die Mannschaft’s unfulfilling 1-1 draw with Team Luka Jovic (Bavarian Football Works)

Germany could not pull away from Serbia and — in fact — had to battle back to force a draw. Joachim Löw’s self-imposed “New Deal” might take longer to find its legs than he had hoped. Anyway, here are some quick hitters on the match:

• Let’s get this out of the way, Serbia has some nice talent and played with tremendous heart, even for a friendly. I joke by saying “Team Luka Jovic,” but Serbia is no pushover. With a bonafide goal-scoring threat like Jovic, who could develop into a world-class striker by 2022, Serbia could be one of those great stories we seem to get every World Cup. Truthfully, I love the edge that Serbia plays with. If only Germany had a bit of that in them at this stage.
• Speaking of edge, Germany still plays like it is king of the mountain and like it is the one being hunted by competitors. At some point, the coach and the roster are going to have to realize that things haven’t been right since the 2017 Confederations Cup. No one fears Germany any more.
• Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus changed the game. It was mentioned here yesterday that in the absence of players like Thomas Muller, Mats Hummels, and Jerome Boateng, that it would be Reus who players would look to and not Manuel Neuer, and I think that is quickly becoming the case. His injury history aside, Reus is a dynamic force and just makes people around him better.

• Leon Goretzka is a beast. The Bayern Munich midfielder’s goal was pretty, but he is showing signs of being a relentless, attacking force up the middle. As his confidence has grown and his role settled in Munich, he looks more confident on the pitch, and it was displayed yesterday. The 24-year-old should absolutely be a starter for Die Mannschaft.
• Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz has a ton of potential... Yesterday was not his day. Same could be said for Timo Werner and Julian Brandt.
• Leroy Sané was disruptive at times and forced things at others. Good overall game for the Manchester City man.
• The duo of Niklas Sule and Jonathan Tah aren’t quite ready for prime time. Sule is WAY further along than Tah but still needs more seasoning. Settle down... He’s on his way to great things but has a bit more developing to do. Tah, meanwhile, just is nowhere near ready to be a lead center-back on a good national team. I want to see Sule take command in Germany’s game against the Netherlands on Sunday.
• More than defensive midfield, Germany needs Joshua Kimmich flying down the right flank and creating offense. Why nullify what would be a huge advantage in every game?
• Overall, Germany was shaky and lacked a killer instinct. Löw has chosen to ride with this group, but with every draw and lackluster performance, the spotlight on him gets brighter.
• Lastly, Germany certainly missed Muller, Hummels, and Boateng. Each player could certainly help that team on and off the field.

If you missed our Match Awards or Observations, give them a look:

Bayern scoping Italian defender (TransferMarketWeb)

Even with the alleged signing of Atelico Madrid’s Lucas Hernandez and with VfB Stuttgart’s Benjamin Pavard already inked, Bayern may still be on the hunt for a talented center-back. AC Milan’s Alessio Romagnoli could be a player the Bavarians have some interest in.

Besides tracking hard Ajax backline star Matthijs De Ligt, Bayern Munich management, planning to push a significant refreshment into their roster, have reportedly targeted Italian international centre-back Alessio Romagnoli (24) as well. AC Milan captain is also tracked by Chelsea, Manchester United, and Juventus.

Bale urged to join Bayern (Daily Express)

ESPN FC’s Alejandro Moreno thinks that Real Madrid star Gareth Bale should join Die Roten.

They have to move away from the whole Franck Ribery-Arjen Robben. Now how long he plays for Bayern Munich is a different question. But I do think there are a couple of productive years in front of Bale. I do think a change in scenery, he needs it and he needs it badly.

Barca preps €43m offer for Jovic (Daily Mail)

Jovic, Eintracht Frankfurt’s 21-year-old striker extraordinaire, is not just opening eyes on the international scene. FC Barcelona is poised to submit a €43m bid in hopes to beat Bayern, Real Madrid, and Chelsea to the punch.

Barcelona will make a £43 million offer for Frankfurt’s Luka Jovic as they attempt to jump to the front of the queue for the in-form striker. Jovic, who is on loan at the Bundesliga club from Benfica, has scored 22 goals in all competitions to attract interest from a host of European giants. Real Madrid are keen on him, while Chelsea and Bayern Munich have also been keeping tabs on the talented 21-year-old.

Bayern worried about Hudson-Odoi call-up, Manchester United chasing Sancho, and why these are related (Metro)

When England called up Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi, did it start the process of upping his transfer market value?

Bayern Munich are worried they may be priced out of a move for Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi after the teenager was called up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad. The Bundesliga champions made repeated attempts to sign Hudson-Odoi in the January window, with their fourth and final offer reaching £35million – an astonishing offer for a player yet to start in the Premier League. According to German newspaper Bild, Bayern’s interest in the 18-year-old is as strong as ever and they will return with a new offer in the summer.

Meanwhile, per FourFourTwo.com, Borussia Dortmund is about to enter the bidding fray for Hudson-Odoi in hopes of deploying an all-English wing tandem or at least replacing Jadon Sancho should he leave. Interestingly, it is Manchester United’s interest in Sancho that may be driving BVB to think about breaking out its checkbook.

German giants Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich will battle it out for England starlet Callum Hudson-Odoi’s signature this summer. Bayern failed to land Hudson-Odoi in January, despite the Chelsea winger unhappy to be struggling for minutes at Stamford Bridge this season. And they could now face stiff competition for the 18-year-old if title challengers Dortmund fail to fend off interest from Manchester United for fellow teenager Jadon Sancho, who could cost as much as £100 million.

How good has Kimmich been this season? (@WhoScored)

(Larry David voice) Pretty...pretty....pretty...good.

Kimmich has been extremely efficient in the final third for Bayern.