Update: May 15th, 5:30PM EST — Another report stays PSG leads the race for Kolo Muani
According to pundit Jan Åge Fjørtoft, it is Paris Saint-Germain who leads the race for Eintracht Frankfurt star Randal Kolo Muani — and not Bayern Munich:
Kylian Mbappe is rumored to have made a personal request for PSG to get a Kolo Muani, but maybe more pertinent is Fjørtoft’s information that Eintracht Frankfurt is not willing to lower its asking price.
If that is true, Bayern Munich will have to evaluate exactly how high it wants to go in the bidding, especially if PSG starts tossing around proposals.
The rumors have been swirling for weeks that Bayern Munich has big interest in Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani. The problem with an acquisition of the Frenchman, however, was reportedly that Die Adler’s asking price would exceed nine figures. That might not be such an issue any more per Sport1’s Kerry Hau and Christopher Michel (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
There was initially some doubt about Kolo Muani’s fit for what Bayern Munich wants from a striker, but those worries have apparently been resolved:
After initial concerns, Bayern are now fully convinced of Randal Kolo Muani. Although the club’s bosses want to take their time with a final decision until the end of the season, Kolo Muani is currently the top candidate within the club. Back in winter, (sporting director Hasan “Brazzo”) Salihamidžić and his staff were still skeptical as to whether Kolo Muani’s play style actually fits Bayern. However, this view has changed after several analyses and observations.
Interestingly, part of the reason Bayern Munich is now convinced on Kolo Muani is that the club believes that he can be effective in both a one-striker and two-striker system:
The general opinion now is that Kolo Muani would fit into the sole striker role, but also in a two-striker system with Eric Maxim-Choupo Moting, Serge Gnabry or Mathys Tel. A system with two strikers is an option for Thomas Tuchel.
One of the primary backers of Kolo Muani at Bayern Munich is club legend Uli Hoeneß, despite retiring from his formal, day-to-day duties with the club:
Uli Hoeneß is a big fan of Kolo Muani. In addition to his footballing qualities, Kolo Muani’s team spirit is also highly valued. As a Frenchman, he would also fit well into the team. Dayot Upamecano is a close friend of his.
There are, however, several other clubs interested in Kolo Muani as Manchester United, Liverpool FC, and Paris Saint-Germain all want the 24-year-old:
Bayern will face big competition for Kolo Muani. Manchester United and Liverpool FC have expressed their interest, and PSG are also keeping an eye on him. Bayern’s advantage is that the player feels comfortable in the Bundesliga and would prefer a move to Munich.
Sport1’s journalists do not expect a decision to be made any time soon, even if proposals start to flow in:
There will be no quick decision. Bayern and Frankfurt have not yet spoken to each other. The only thing that counts for Bayern now is the title race. Meanwhile, Eintracht have the cup final against RB Leipzig in mind.
However, Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg is reporting that talks have, indeed, already begun between Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt — and the price could be lower than the anticipated €100 million that we previously saw:
Is Kolo Muani the solution at striker? Tell us in the comments below…