For the time after Harry Kane, an attacker should be developed at FC Bayern. The Munich team has the problem that the development of players in their own ranks is stalling, as the case of Mathys Tel shows. That’s why there is a list of alternatives.
Harry Kane has been the international figurehead for FC Bayern since his transfer in the summer of 2023. This became clear once again at the Ballon d’Or in Paris. The 31-year-old not only came in 10th place as the best Bayern player in the world footballer poll and, together with Kylian Mbappé, won the “Gerd Müller Trophy” for the best goalscorer – and after the award ceremony he appeared to be a special star. Hollywood actress Natalie Portman posed for photos with Kane. The English gentleman brings shine to FC Bayern.
The captain of the English national team has a contract in Munich until June 30, 2027, and the club is happy with his performance and appearance. Nevertheless, the search for a successor has begun in the background. The striker market is being analyzed closely by sports director Max Eberl, especially since not only the next year but also the year after next plays a role internally in the planning and shadow squads.
There are several reasons for this. One: The development of talent Mathys Tel is stalling. An attacker should come or be developed for the time after Kane. And: In Frankfurt there is a goalscorer, Omar Marmoush (25), for whom an adjustment to the current system would even be conceivable.
VfB Stuttgart wants to borrow Tel from FC Bayern
In March, Bayern extended Tel’s contract until 2029. However, the Frenchman is not getting going under Vincent Kompany. In the cup game in Mainz, which Bayern won 4-0, the 19-year-old once again got 45 minutes of playing time. He seemed unhappy and hardly came to any conclusions. When Kompany, who attaches great importance to fair treatment of all professionals, lists his options for the offensive wing positions, Tel sometimes appears, but sometimes not. In terms of wingers, Serge Gnabry, Michael Olise, Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sané are ahead of him. Kane is placed in the center forward position.
A rental deal is a realistic option in winter. There are many interested parties for Tel, be it from abroad or from the Bundesliga. According to information from WELT, VfB Stuttgart would be happy to loan the attacker if the conditions are right. The Swabians tried it at Tel last summer.
There are several Bundesliga players on Eberl and sporting director Christoph Freund’s striker list. Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Loïs Openda are being watched. The 21-year-old Sesko was already a topic in Munich when he still played for RB Salzburg (2021 to 2023). At that time he had the “Haaland problem”. As with the Norwegian, the Bayern planners saw great potential in Sesko, but could not immediately guarantee him playing time.
The center forward position at Bayern was first occupied by Robert Lewandowski and now by Kane. Now Sesko could become interesting again, but only from 2026: his center forward profile is too similar to that of Kane. While the Slovenian moved to Leipzig in 2023 for 24 million euros, Bayern would then have to dig deeper into their pockets. The transfer fee for Sesko for 2026 is set in writing at around 70 million euros. Leipzig colleague Openda impresses with a strong hit rate and was the royal transfer from Eberl to RB in 2023. The 24-year-old Belgian has an exit clause for 2026. This should be a transfer fee of 80 million euros.
A man who is currently causing a sensation and who really hurt Bayern on matchday 6 has been observed by Munich scouts for more than this year: Frankfurt star Marmoush. The Egyptian scored twice against Bayern in a 3-3 draw. After this season he wants to take the next step in his career. According to information from “Sport Bild”, there are only two options: the Premier League, which Marmoush admires and where he is on the list at Liverpool FC. Or FC Bayern.
Marmoush, who also speaks perfect German, impresses with his qualities and modest demeanor. He would be comparatively cheap compared to the two Leipzig attackers: Frankfurt are asking 40 to 50 million for him. However, Bayern would have to strike next summer. The system would have to be adapted to Marmoush, as Bayern are definitely planning on using Kane as a center forward.
A man with experience in Germany is currently making a name for himself in Portugal. Viktor Gyökeres played 28 games for St. Pauli in 2019/20. Now the 26-year-old is really getting started: In the current season, the Swede scored 20 goals in 16 competitive games; last season, Gyökeres scored 43 goals in 50 games. His market value on transfermarkt.de is 70 million euros. Bayern have their sights set on him, but Gyökeres has also been linked to Manchester United. Sporting coach Rúben Amorim is taking over the traditional English club and could bring his protégé over.
The fact is: Even if Bayern are currently excellently positioned in the striker position thanks to superstar Kane, the makers know. The race for the next goalscorer has long since begun.
The article was written for the Sports Competence Center (WELT, SPORT PICTURE, BILD) written and first published in SPORT BILD.
