Report: Bayern Munich eyeing Gladbach forward Marcus Thuram

Fresh off the tail of Uli Hoeness’ admission that Bayern Munich are “missing a #9,” a new report from Sport1 (as captured by @iMiaSanMia) claims that the club is eyeballing Borussia Mönchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram for the role:

Bayern are eyeing Borussia Mönchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram (25). Markus Pilawa, Bayern’s new chief scout, was at Borussia Park yesterday for Gladbach’s game against Köln, mainly to get a better picture of Thuram [@kerry_hau, @berger_pj

Sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidžić is reportedly instructing his scouting team to cast a wide net — “watching as many strikers as possible” — in their search for potential candidates for a future Bayern #9. And while it’s said that Harry Kane is still the first choice of Salihamidžić and head coach Julian Nagelsmann, the cost of such a transfer could prove prohibitive — meaning an alternative list must be gathered.

Thuram is out of contract at Gladbach in the summer, and Sport1 is reporting the 25-year-old Frenchman is not inclined to renew. That makes the finances of a potential deal with Bayern intriguing — provided he passes the eye test.

Photo by Christian Verheyen/Borussia Moenchengladbach via Getty Images

Similar to Bayern’s big summer transfer window forward from this year, Sadio Mané, Thuram has featured at both left wing and striker over the course of his career. Also like the former Liverpool forward, Thuram is known as a pacy attacker with a clinical finish — having recently been clocked with the 6th-fastest sprint speed in the Bundesliga this season.

But in terms of height, it’s no contest: Thuram towers 6’4 (193cm), over Mané’s 5’9 (175cm). With a certain type of goal apparently missing from the Bavarian attack, could Marcus Thuram be the eventual answer?