Exploring life after Lewy: Bayern Munich’s German options

The oft-rumored sale of Robert Lewandowski to Real Madrid would represent a changing of the guard at striker for Bayern Munich. Sandro Wagner would be the immediate successor based on the current roster as the primary striker, but using Thomas Muller as a “false nine” would also be on the table as well for a replacement scenario.

It would seem apparent, however, that Bayern would look to bring in some outside talent with an eye on the future. If recent reports are true, that player would ideally be a German given the club’s focus on building its foundation with national talent.

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So what choices are there if Lewandowski and Real Madrid do link up this summer? Although forwards like Mario Gomez (age) and André Schürrle (inconsistency) do not quite fit the mold of what Bayern wants, and other candidates such as Julian Draxler, Marco Reus, and Max Kruse are not an exact positional fit, the Reds still have a few quality options if Lewandowski hypothetically took his immense talents to the Bernabéu:

Timo Werner, RB Leipzig

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The most obvious choice would be the RB Leipzig man, who starred in the 2017 Confederations Cup and was a consistent performer in the World Cup qualification rounds for Jogi Low. The 21-year-old has 14 goals between the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and Champions League, which would likely translate to many more if he were surrounded by the play-making talent on the Munich roster. If Bayern sold Lewandowski, the cash to make a run at Werner and his seemingly limitless potential would be there.

Kevin Volland, Bayer Leverkusen

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Volland’s ambition to be a member of the German national team would be bolstered in Munich, and his current performance for Leverkusen (10 goals in all competitions) has likely opened some eyes. The 25-year old would be a less expensive option should Bayern choose to go that route.

Lars Stindl, Borussia Monchengladbach

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At 29, Stindl is older than the Reds would probably like, but he would also probably jump at the chance to play with a Bayern squad loaded with German internationals. With only four goals combined in the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal this year, though, Stindl also might not be productive enough for Bayern to consider him a candidate to fill the shoes of Lewandowski. He arguably would not provide an upgrade in talent or a younger alternative to Wagner.

Surely, there are more international candidates that Bayern would consider, but if the focus is truly to use German talent, the three players above likely represent the options for a post-Lewy game plan.