Viktor Gyökeres is the real deal, and is probably going to be among the most hotly contested players next summer. The 26 year old Swedish No. 9 has already notched a staggering 23 goals and four assists in just 17 appearances for Sporting CP. This includes a hat-trick in Sporting’s recent 4-1 demolition of Manchester City in the Champions league. Given Bayern Munich’s obsession with pure no.9s (and for good reason), he is an obvious transfer target.
With Florian Plettenberg recently reporting that Bayern Munich are closely monitoring the player’s situation, it feels like the management might be up to something… or maybe not. Sure, the player is incredible, fits Bayern’s profile perfectly, and is the same ilk of striker as a certain Robert Lewandowski, who enjoyed tremendous success with Bayern Munich, including a historic sextuple.
However, last we checked, Bayern Munich already has a 6’2” striker called Harry Kane, some half-decent bloke from England who has notched 17 goals and nine assists in just 16 appearances, which is a G+A ratio just a wee bit better than that of the exciting player in discussion. “Well, but… Kane is quite old, isn’t he?” I hear you say.
Depends on what you consider old. Kane is just 31 (unbelievable as it sounds), which is just five years shy of Gyökeres’ 26. It is the same age gap Kane shares with Robert Lewandowski.
It doesn’t seem conceivable that Kane would be slowing down significantly in the next three seasons. The striker also happens to be the best playmaker-forward in world football at the moment, which is something you simply do not replace. Kane is under contract at Bayern till summer 2027. Unless the club decides to recover some of the money it spent on signing him and reinvest it on Gyökeres, this transfer makes no sense whatsoever.
Especially if Bayern is to be involved in a race for the Swede’s signature as early as next summer, which is the most likely outcome. Let’s face it… Gyökeres is most probably jumping ship soon, and this puts the club in a difficult spot. Is the brass willing to prematurely terminate what is a beautiful and successful relationship with Harry Kane only to gamble on the younger Gyökeres? Or does it choose to stick to a known commodity that is delivering goals and dishing out assists for fun?
Gyökeres is expected to cost at least 60-70 million euros, which is a HUGE chunk of money. Yes, the player’s quality and production absolutely warrants the fee, but is Bayern really in need of a player of a similar profile? The argument here is that Bayern should stick to Harry Kane through summer of ‘26 at the very least.
There is one alternative, tantalizing option however. It remains to be seen if it is feasible, but… if Bayern somehow manages to convince Gyökeres to stall for another season, or negotiates a favourable transfer fee and secures personal terms with the player, Bayern could allow both players to share minutes for a season before a probable Kane phaseout.
This would be the ideal scenario, but it feels like little more than a fairytale. It is highly doubtful Gyökeres signs for Bayern with Kane already at the club.
Sigh. If only we had Brazzo and his PowerPoints.
Looking for some chatter on where Bayern Munich stands at the moment, how Jamal Musiala might be close to taking “the leap”, and our thoughts on the latest German national team call-ups? Great, then check out the Bavarian Podcast Works Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
