Daily Schmankerl: The aftermath of Bayern Munich vs. Mainz 05; Tottenham, Real Madrid vie for Serge Gnabry; Sevilla wants Corentin Tolisso?; FC Barcelona to bid on Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku?; Manchester United and Man City fighting over Declan Rice; & MORE!

Die Folgen: Bayern’s uninspired 3-1 loss to Mainz (Bavarian Football Works)

Bayern Munich was outclassed by Mainz 05 in a dreadful team effort. The home team bounced the Bavarians 3-1 in a game where it was extremely obvious that one team cared and the other was still drying itself off from the beer showers last weekend.

Here are some quick hitters on the match:

• I was a little shocked by the lineup. Manuel Neuer sitting was surprising, but I was okay with getting Sven Ulreich time. Initially it looked good to give players like Marcel Sabitzer and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting a run with the starting XI, but the squad lacked any kind of cohesion and flow for a multitude of reasons (not necessarily because they started some subs).
• I also thought Paul Wanner would be part of the match day squad, but he was shipped off to play with the U-19s.
• Phil Bonney said it best when he said Bayern Munich looked a little but hungover from last weekend.
• I was hoping like hell that Bayern Munich would not come out flat and uninspired, but that is exactly how they played.
• From the outset, Bayern Munich was just not with it. They lacked energy and passion (like Julian Nagelsmann said).
• Jonathan Burkardt opened the scoring for Mainz after the midfield and defense for Bayern Munich were completely asleep. Like...they might as well have been laying down on the pitch with pillows during that play. Yikes.
• Burkardt’s goal was in the 18th minute and it was a harbinger of things to come.
• Robert Lewandowski’s goal was magnificent, though. What a turn!
• Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, and Marcel Sabitzer were lethargic and lacked life.
• The backline, joined the midfield in being “off.” Alphonso Davies either has fallen off defensively with his positioning or this hybrid back-four system just leaves the backline too vulnerable.
• Anton Stach looked terrific. If he keeps playing this way, maybe he could be a dark horse for Germany’s World Cup roster later this year.
• Leroy Sane continued his shoddy play of late in a sub appearance, while Serge Gnabry provided next to nothing as well.
• At least we got to see a little bit of Gabriel Vidovic. It was a tough spot for the youngster, but he did bring some life into the match.
• For fans, this was not a reason to be alarmed, as this kind of effort is pretty typical for a team that has nothing to play for. Still, I think everyone would have loved to see Bayern Munich come out with a little more vim and vigor.
• Overall, it was bad. It is easy to say that nothing mattered and that this really didn’t mean anything to a team that just clinched the league title, but with so many regulars in the lineup, it was a sorry effort. This was one of those times where Nagelsmann probably just needed to hit them with, “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.” If the regular players are going to come out that unmotivated, then the manager should just roll with his subs and young kids. I’m not bitter about it, but I did find it to be a bad look. What a shame for the fans who travelled to that match.

If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast:

Sevilla, Madrid scoping Tolisso (The Hard Tackle)

It looks like Real Madrid and Sevilla are both going to take a hard look at Corentin Tolisso:

Sevilla will reportedly provide stiff competition to La Liga rivals Real Madrid in the race to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Corentin Tolisso. According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Corentin Tolisso is the subject of interest from Sevilla over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The Andalusian giants have joined La Liga rivals Real Madrid in the race to sign the Bayern Munich midfielder in a Bosman move.

With the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner unlikely to sign a renewal, a Bosman move is on the cards, with Real Madrid and Sevilla two of his prospective suitors. The interest from Real Madrid stems from the rampant uncertainties surrounding the future of Isco. The Spanish midfielder will likely depart from the Santiago Bernabeu as a free agent in the summer transfer window, meaning Real Madrid will have to delve into the market for a replacement.

Everton, Arsenal join Bayern in Jovic pursuit (The Hard Tackle)

Bayern Munich is not alone in its rumored pursuit of Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic. As we already saw, there are clubs in Germany who have interest — and now Arsenal FC and Everton are among the other parties, who might like to bring in the Serbian:

Bayern Munich could reportedly pursue a move for Real Madrid outcast Luka Jovic if Robert Lewandowski calls it quits at the Allianz Arena. According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Luka Jovic has popped up on the radar of Bayern Munich over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The Real Madrid outcast has emerged as a surprise target to replace Robert Lewandowski, with the Pole linked with Barcelona.

The interest from Bayern Munich stems from the rampant uncertainties surrounding the future of Robert Lewandowski. The Bavarian giants have been adamant that the Polish striker will stay put at the Allianz Arena beyond the summer transfer window amid interest from Barcelona. The 24-year-old has also been linked with Arsenal and Everton, with several Serie A clubs also showing interest in him. It will be interesting to see if Bayern Munich will firm up their interest in the Real Madrid outcast or if he joins another club when he departs from the Santiago Bernabeu.

Plan C: Barca eyeing Lukaku? (Football London)

Plan C is for cookie...that’s good enough for me. FC Barcelona can have Chelsea FC’s Romelu Lukaku:

FC Barcelona are interested in signing Chelsea and Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku, according to reports in Spain.

The Blaugrana are supposedly in desperate need of a new number nine next season, amid troubled attempts to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund and Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich. Now, as per a report from Marca, Romelu Lukaku is Barca’s Plan C.

Lukaku faces a summer of uncertainty given his underwhelming return to the Premier League this season. The 28-year-old has found the net just 12 times in total for the Blues, of which only five have come in the league.

At least some doubt surrounds potential Spurs bid on Gnabry (Give Me Sport)

Tottenham Hotspur wants Serge Gnabry, but might not be fully convinced that he wants to leave Bayern Munich — and could also be worried about having to face Real Madrid as competition for the Germany international:

Transfer insider Dean Jones would be surprised if Tottenham managed to sign Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry this summer. The 26-year-old, who was once on the books of Spurs’ north London rivals Arsenal, has been linked with a move to Antonio Conte’s side.

According to the Daily Star, Conte is pushing Tottenham to sign Gnabry as he looks to improve his attack. The German has had another strong season at Bayern, scoring 13 league goals to help the club clinch their 10th consecutive Bundesliga title.

Gnabry, however, is set to enter the final year of his contract, a development Tottenham and other clubs could try and pounce on. As well as Spurs, Real Madrid are also said to be interested in the former Arsenal man, so Bayern could have a fight on their hands if their aim is to keep hold of him this summer.

Bavarian Podcast Works: Weekend Warm-up Podcast Season 1, Episode 47 (Bavarian Football Works)

In the wake of Bayern Munich’s 10th consecutive Bundesliga title being clinched, some fans felt a little bitter thinking about what might have been for this season. While that might be natural, take a little time from thinking about what didn’t happen and focus on what did.

Winning ten straight league crowns is no joke!

On this episode, we tackle that topic and a whole lot more. This is what we have on tap:

• A look at Bayern Munich’s title run and why it’s okay to just celebrate the accomplishment even if you feel like this squad should have done more.
• The latest on Robert Lewandowski contract talks and where things might be headed.
• Erling Haaland spent “hours” talking to Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidzic at the sporting director’s home...what does that mean?
• Bayern Munich’s others option at striker should Lewandowski bolt.
• Why that story about Bayern Munich’s last ditch effort to get Nico Schlotterbeck might be true.

Klopp unsure his new deal will retain players (Sky)

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp does not think his recent contract extension through 2026 will play a role in the decision making for players like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, and Naby Keita as they look to plot their own respective futures.

“That is more a question for the boys, what it exactly means for them but all fine, my relationship with them is great,” he said. “My point is in life there are more important things to think about, not only who is the manager but knowing who the manager and coaching staff is is important thing because when you know what you have with other clubs where you could go, you don’t know exactly. There is no 100 percent in this business but I think it is pretty likely I will stay for a little bit longer because other coaches are there at other clubs. If it is a positive sign for the boys, great, but I don’t think this will be the one decisive thing for whatever decision they want to make. It is their own life but we just wanted to guarantee that everyone who wants to be here knows what he can expect.”

City, United sparring over Rice? (Sport1)

Manchester City and Manchester United could be battling over West Ham’s Declan Rice:

Is it possible that Pep Guardiola wants to send a signal to Erik ten Hag, who is the most powerful coach in town? According to a report by the Daily Mail, Manchester City are in the running for shooting star Declan Rice. The West Ham United midfielder has mostly been linked with Manchester United, where ten Hag will become head coach from the summer.

Rice has blossomed into one of the top six in the Premier League and could reportedly change clubs for around 120 million euros. The 23-year-old has so far rejected offers to extend his working paper, which runs until 2024.

But Chelsea also want to have a say about Rice. But the Blues are dependent on their future owner and successor, Roman Abramovich.