The earliest departure for Bayern Munich this summer was that of Frans Kratzig. The versatile 22-year-old completed a move to RB Salzburg on a permanent basis at the end of May. Die Roten received a fee of €3.5 million for Kratzig. The Bavarian club has also inserted a buyback clause in the deal.
Bayern have ensured that they have some sort of control over the long-term futures of young players who leave Munich on a permanent basis. Kratzig made his debut for Bayern under Thomas Tuchel. He had three mixed loan spells in the last 18 months. His best time came at Austria Vienna during the second half of 2023/24.
The 2024/25 campaign was a tale of two contrasting halves for Kratzig. In the Hinrunde, he struggled to get game time for VfB Stuttgart. The 22-year-old returned to Munich in January and went out on loan to Heidenheim. Kratzig ended up making 16 appearances for Heidenheim during the second half of the season.
A move to RB Salzburg will work well for Kratzig. The Austrian club is known for developing young talent and giving them adequate game time to aid their development. While talking to Spox this week (via Bulinews), Kratzig admitted that it would be a dream come true for him if he ends up returning to Bayern in the future.
"Bayern is one of the biggest clubs in the world. Anyone who doesn't want to play for Bayern has misunderstood the football business. It's very conceivable for me to return to FC Bayern at some point. But for now, I want to continue developing in Salzburg. I'll take step one, two, and three here. Maybe step four will be a return to FC Bayern."Frans Kratzig
If Kratzig does well at RB Salzburg, Bayern will certainly be in the mix to sign him. His versatility can be a blessing for any coach. Kratzig can play in the midfield, left wing, and left-back positions.
Kratzig praises Bayern for giving opportunities
The Bavarian club has been under scrutiny for not integrating the young players from the academy smoothly into the first team. Despite not getting a run of games at Bayern in the first XI, Kratzig has nothing but good things to say about his time in Munich.
Kratzig admitted that his transition to the first team was handled very smoothly. He admitted that there is a lot of attention given to young players at the club, but cementing a spot in the starting XI at one of the best clubs is difficult.
Bayern have consistently recruited some of the best talents across the globe for the academy. There have been few success stories at the club when it comes to a youngster cementing a place in the first team squad. The club chiefs will believe that this will change soon with someone like Lennart Karl, who is set to be part of the first team squad next season.