Bayern Munich leading the race for young French striker
Midfield and defense are the two areas Bayern Munich is definitely looking to address in the upcoming summer transfer window. The Bavarian club has already started talks with clubs and players to complete deals even before the market opens in June. Die Roten may have to reinforce the attack if there are key departures in the summer.
The German champions are currently in talks with Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry for a contract extension. The former is yet to be offered a new deal, while the latter continues to deliberate over signing the deal despite the club improving the initial offer.
In the event of a departure of Lewandowski or Gnabry, Die Roten will need a new forward. However, they may need a quality experienced player to replace these senior forwards. If they end up staying, then Rekordmeister can afford to sign a young striker. One particular report from France suggests that Bayern has already identified a potential young signing in the attack.
According to 90 Football in France (via GFFN), Bayern Munich is currently leading the race to sign Hugo Ekitike from Reims. The French forward is also attracting interest from the likes of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, and Sevilla.
Ekitike can play on the left, but he is primarily a number nine. He has enjoyed a good Ligue 1 campaign with Reims, contributing to ten goals in 21 appearances. The 19-year-old certainly has the potential to be a top-class number nine. Newcastle United had a big bid rejected for him at the end of the winter transfer window. After a good season with Reims, his value has certainly gone up.
The young French striker will be operating as a backup for Robert Lewandowski if Bayern completes a move for him. The youngster will learn from the best number nine in the world and eventually become his long-term successor.
In terms of departures in the number nine role, Joshua Zirkzee is expected to leave Bavaria permanently in the summer. The Dutch forward will have many suitors in the summer after his productive loan spell at Anderlecht. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is likely to stay in Bavaria even if Die Roten signs a young striker like Ekitike.
Next. Nagelsmann pushing for a new center-back. dark
Want your voice heard? Join the Bayern Strikes team!
Meanwhile, SportBild provided an update on the future of Robert Lewandowski. The German outlet insisted that Die Roten has made a decision internally to reject bids for the Polish striker in the summer. Lewandowski has been heavily linked with Barcelona as he enters the final 12 months of his contract at Bayern.