Bayern Munich Eyes Nick Woltemade as Future Heir to Harry Kane
Bayern Munich are already thinking about life after Harry Kane – and eyes in Bavaria keep drifting towards Nick Woltemade.
Kane is still rewriting records, becoming the fastest player to reach 100 goals for Bayern and showing few signs of slowing down in front of goal. But he is 33 now. At Säbener Straße, planning rarely stops at the present.
According to talkSPORT, Bayern chiefs have identified Woltemade as a potential long-term heir to their No. 9. The Newcastle United striker, currently on loan at Juventus, is seen as a realistic option for a future move back to Germany.
Woltemade only arrived in the Premier League last summer, swapping Stuttgart for Newcastle, and his first season in England was a mixed one. He struck eight Premier League goals in his debut campaign, a solid return, but his form tailed off. Just two of those goals came after the turn of the year, and by deadline day he was heading out again, this time to Turin.
European football analyst Andy Brassell believes that detour will not stop Bayern.
"I still think Woltemade will end up at Bayern at some point," Brassell told talkSPORT. "They were convinced he would go there before Newcastle. Bayern will look at his situation and think they could get him for pennies on the pound in the future."
That confidence partly stems from how Woltemade’s stock has dipped in recent months. At Juventus, he has barely had a chance to breathe, let alone build rhythm. Two substitute appearances. Just 44 minutes on the pitch. Three attempts on goal, none of them on target. He is sharing the frontline rebuild with Randal Kolo Muani, but neither has yet found their stride.
Brassell pointed to a Juve attack still trying to find its shape, with both forwards battling rust and expectation at the same time. It is hardly the ideal environment for a 24-year-old trying to prove he belongs at the very top.
Newcastle saw flashes of that level early this season before he left. Woltemade featured twice, including a tidy assist in a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, a reminder of his link-up play and awareness around the box.
For Bayern, that is the appeal. Woltemade is entering what should be his prime years. The raw numbers may not dazzle right now, but the profile fits: a Germany international, comfortable in elite leagues, with room – and time – to grow into the role behind, and eventually after, Kane.
The German champions are expected to keep a close watch on his loan spell in Serie A, tracking his minutes, his confidence, his goals. No rush, no public declarations. Just quiet monitoring of a player they once thought they would sign before Newcastle intervened.
Woltemade, for his part, has a more immediate task. He needs to ignite his Juventus career, and the chance is coming quickly. The Bianconeri open their Europa League campaign at home to Dutch side NEC Nijmegen, a stage big enough to change the narrative in a single night.
If he delivers there and strings together a strong European run, the market will respond. Bayern will not be the only club listening. But they might be the one ready to move when Kane finally starts to loosen his grip on that centre-forward spot.
