There was a flurry of 11th hour activity from Bayern Munich as the transfer window in Germany and most of Europe’s other top leagues closed on Monday. In the end, after a lot of to and fro with Chelsea, Bayern eventually secured the services of striker-Nicolas Jackson on a season-long loan with the obligation to buy for €65 million, if the player makes a certain number of appearances over the course of the season. The initial loan fee is reportedly a staggering €16.5 million.
With Jackson officially on board to bolster the offense, we now conclude Bayern’s 2025/26 squad preview with a look at the attacking department, starting with the striker position.
Center-forward options
Unsurprisingly, despite the arrival of Nicolas Jackson, Harry Kane will once again lead the attack for Bayern. At 32, the England captain is showing no signs of attrition. Kane has started the season in terrific form with five goals in four games, including a hat trick on opening day in the 6-0 hammering of Leipzig.
Having tasted team success for the first-time last season when Die Roten regained the Bundesliga trophy, Kane would likely be even more hungry for success this time around.
Although Kane remains the focal point of the Bayern attack, a player like Jackson is a welcome addition to the squad especially considering how thin it is in the attacking department following the departures of Thomas Muller, Leroy Sané and Kingsley Coman.
The 24-year Senegalese international will serve primarily as the backup to Harry Kane. However, whilst his finishing is not as clinical as that of the Englishman, Jackson can also put in a decent shift on either wing.
Notwithstanding the hefty price tag, and the circumstances under which he came to Germany, it’s up to Jackson to prove his sceptics wrong by scoring and providing goals at an impressive rate, which will give Bayern strong enough reason to trigger his outright purchase.
Jackson’s presence at Bayern over the course of the season would represent the classic case of a double-edged sword. If he can perform well enough to trigger the purchase clause it would certainly boost Bayern’s chances in all competitions. On the other hand, if he fails to meet those targets, despite Chelsea getting the better of the deal in the short term with a high loan fee, Bayern could still ultimately end up dodging a bullet. However, it would still leave them in need of another attacker at the end of the season, with Nick Woltemade no longer being an option after having recently been snapped up by Newcastle United for €90 million.