Liverpool, Arsenal and Man United are monitoring Lennart Karl’s situation at Bayern Munich amid uncertainty over the teenager’s future, according to Bild journalist Christian Falke.
Bayern want to retain Karl and continue his development at the Allianz Arena, but interest from Premier League clubs has increased following questions about his position at the club.
The 18-year-old attracted further attention after attending the Ballon d’Or ceremony and finishing fourth in the Kopa Trophy rankings, behind Zaire-Emery, Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal.
Falke told CF Bayern Insider that Arsenal, Liverpool and Man United had all taken note of reports concerning Karl.
“Of course, Premier League clubs are also following the relevant reports from Germany. I heard that Arsenal, Liverpool and Man United have all taken note of some of the situations surrounding Lennart Karl,” he said.
“Ultimately, when a player attends the Ballon d’Or ceremony and finishes fourth in the Kopa Trophy rankings (behind Zaire-Emery, Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal), he naturally attracts interest from other clubs.
“As a result, clubs have already called to ask about his situation, wanting to know whether the young German is having any problems in Munich and whether anyone is not completely satisfied with him.”
Contract talks yet to begin
Karl is valued at 60 million euros, approximately £50.1 million, a figure Falke said Premier League clubs could afford.
The midfielder signed his first professional contract at the age of 18. It runs until 2029, the same expiry date as Olise’s deal, but there have not yet been discussions over an extension.
“Things are starting to get interesting. So far, there have been no talks about a contract extension. He signed a professional contract at the age of 18, which runs until 2029 (the same expiry date as Olise’s contract). We therefore still need to see how the upcoming contract negotiations develop,” Falke said.
Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeneß recently said he intended to speak privately with Karl about the player’s behaviour away from the pitch.
Falke added that Karl had responded professionally to those comments and then produced an excellent performance in Bayern’s DFB-Pokal victory over Magdeburg.
“Lennart Karl handled Uli Hoeneß’s comments very professionally and performed excellently in the DFB-Pokal victory over Magdeburg. Ultimately, given the team’s current injury problems, Bayern really need him,” he said.
Man United face pressing need
Man United may have the strongest need among the three interested clubs for a player with Karl’s qualities.
There is considerable uncertainty about the future of Bruno Fernandes, United’s principal playmaker and number 10. The club also appear to lack a dependable replacement for Bryan Mbeumo on the right wing.
Karl could potentially find more regular first-team football at Old Trafford. However, moving from Bundesliga champions Bayern to Man United would mean joining a club whose internal situation remains unsettled.
The future of the head coach is unclear, while broader cultural problems continue to affect the club. For Karl, any opportunity for increased playing time would therefore come with significant questions about the environment in which he would be developing.
