Report: Hertha Berlin’s Luca Netz continuing to interest Bayern Munich

Hertha Berlin’s Luca Netz has been linked with Bayern Munich in recent weeks and the 17-year old is one of Die Alte Dame’s most promising up and coming talents. He plays primarily as a left back and has featured six times in the Bundesliga for Hertha’s senior squad, most recently in the 3-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt at Deutsche Bank Park last weekend in Pal Dardai’s first match back in charge of the club.

Last week, just ahead of deadline day, it was reported that Netz was getting ready to renew his contract with Hertha, but a new report from Az confirms that Bayern is still showing continued interest in him, regardless of his contract situation. From Bayern’s perspective, he would potentially be a solid backup left back for Alphonso Davies if they were to sign him from Hertha. The idea is that this would be highly beneficial for defensive depth assuming Lucas Hernandez would adopt a more central defensive role in the wake of David Alaba’s departure this summer.

Former Berlin manager Bruno Labbadia lauded Netz’s ability to use his right foot from the left flank shortly before he was sacked. “There are few players who are left-footed and have such a good shot with their right,” he had said. At Bayern, that versatility could mean that Netz could also potentially serve as a backup to Benjamin Pavard if he was asked to play on the right flank, but he would, of course, face competition in that regard from Bouna Sarr.

Off the pitch, Netz’s father said his son is the type of person that will always stay grounded and never forget where he came from. He was born in Berlin and started his career at FSV Bernau in northern Berlin before joining Hertha’s youth academy. “Luca is not the type to take off. He is a good boy who knows where he comes from. He is friendly to everyone and it will stay that way,” Netz’s father explained. From what his father says, Netz seems like he has the right type of character and mentality to succeed at a club like Bayern. It’s often times very easy for younger players to get carried away as successes come, but Netz seems to be well raised and well grounded as a result.

Netz is also following in the footsteps of players that have come out of Hertha’s youth teams. Jerome Boateng, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Jordan Torunarigha, and Maximilian Mittelstädt have all established themselves in Hertha’s senior squad at one point or another after playing for the youth and/or reserve teams. Netz has already done this, and he’s on the right track to become a prominent player in the Bundesliga.

Photo by Jan-Philipp Burmann/City-Press GmbH via Getty Images

At this juncture, it was initially understood that Netz would be relatively inexpensive for Bayern with an upcoming expiring contract, but now that Hertha is likely to extend said contract, it would mean he’d be a bit more expensive for Bayern. Per transfermakrt, his current market value is €1.00m, which is still very cheap for a player of his quality. It’s something that Bayern will certainly continue to monitor.