Uli Hoeness insists Bayern Munich won’t pay €180m for Victor Osimhen and confirms interest in Dusan Vlahovic and Harry Kane.
The Bavarians are looking for a new centre forward for 2023-24 and have already made an opening bid for Kane, but Tottenham want more than the €70m proposed by the Bundesliga champions. Osimhen is another top transfer target for the Germans, but Bayern won’t match Napoli‘s €180m asking price.
“Bayern Munich don’t go along with that if the numbers of up to €180m are correct,” Bayern’s honorary President told t-online.de.
“I don’t know the exact budget, but there’s a lot of speculation about that. One thing is for sure: no matter what it ends up being, signing a top striker will be expensive.
“Kane would fit in very well if you want a guarantee of an immediate impact,” he continued.
“But there are a few other candidates. Overall, it’s just a very difficult market. There aren’t many excellent attackers, but there are significantly more offers and interested clubs than top strikers and that makes things difficult.
“Kane has shown for almost a decade that he is a top striker. From that point of view, there will be few risks and many opportunities. He brings an incredible amount of experience and quality to the table. He can score goals with his right or left foot and headers. He’s a complete striker. Kane is 29 and would be an expensive signing. But quite clearly, he would be able to help Bayern immediately.”
France international Randal Kolo Muani, currently under contract with Eintracht Frankfurt is also an option for the Bavarians, but Hoeness seemingly prefers Osimhen if Kane doesn’t join.
“These [Kolo Muani and Osimhen] are both excellent strikers, even if both are 24 years old. Osimhen is a bit further because he has been playing in a top league for a long time. Bayern can plan ahead for a decade with any of them. Osimhen has a bit more experience. In Kolo Muani, on the other hand, there is still a lot of potential. Maybe he has shown 20 or 30 per cent of his potential, which he can still develop once he has established himself in one of the top leagues.”
However, Osimhen, Kane and Kolo Muani are not the only options for Bayern and Hoeness also mentioned Juventus star Vlahovic as an option for the Bavarians.
“All three would help, Harry Kane and Osimhen may be quicker to settle in. But I’m also excited about the development of Kolo Muani. I also think Vlahović is a good striker. He didn’t have a good season, but he showed in Florence, in a smaller club, that he’s an absolute top player. I don’t think he’s playing a big role at Bayern [plans] at the moment. But there are still a few strikers, including Gonçalo Ramos, for example, not just the three mentioned above.”
Juventus are ready to listen to offers for Vlahovic, but won’t sell the Serbia international for less than €80-90m, according to multiple sources in Italy.
The former Fiorentina striker was Juventus’ best scorer in 2022-23, but only managed 14 goals in 42 appearances across all competitions.