Manchester City are reportedly leading the race to sign Bayern Munich attacker Jamal Musiala, with the English champions believed to have identified the German as their leading target for next summer.
Musiala, 21, only has a contract at Allianz Arena until June 2026, and there is currently a host of speculation surrounding his future, with many of the top clubs in world football keeping a close eye on his situation.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid are among the teams believed to be monitoring the Germany international's situation in Munich, but according to Football Insider, Man City are 'well-placed' to secure his signature.
The report claims that Citizens head coach Pep Guardiola is a long-term admirer of the attacker, and the club are prepared to spend big to sign him during next summer's transfer window.
Musiala has been in impressive form for Bayern in the early stages of the 2024-25 campaign, scoring twice and registering three assists in five appearances in all competitions.
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Man City 'well placed' to sign Bayern star Musiala
Musiala has been with Bayern since 2019, progressing to first-team level in 2020, and he has represented the Munich club on 168 occasions, scoring 45 goals and registering 34 assists in the process.
Bayern president Herbert Hainer has said that his club will "try everything to keep him for as long as possible".
However, the Munich outfit's director of sport Max Eberl has conceded that it will be "difficult" to sign Musiala to another contract due to the growing interest.
"It's difficult, but not impossible as Jamal knows what he has at Bayern Munich," Eberl told Sport1. "He grew up here and has brought himself to this level. Talks are intensifying. We are extremely ambitious and he knows that he wants to win titles."
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Will Musiala leave Bayern next summer?
Bayern will be in a difficult situation if they are unable to sign Musiala to a new contract before next summer.
Indeed, the Bundesliga giants would surely not be willing to let the German enter the final year of his deal, as they would run the risk of losing him for free in the summer of 2026.
A free transfer for Musiala would be one of the most incredible deals of all time, but Bayern would still potentially be able to ask for around £100m for him next summer, if it becomes clear that he will not be signing another contract in Munich.
Man City are looking for a long-term replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, and it would be some statement if the English champions were able to secure Musiala's signature.
However, there will undoubtedly be plenty of competition for the forward, who was also in excellent form for Germany at Euro 2024, scoring three times at the competition.