Update: Bayern Munich youth prospect Kenan Yildiz is headed to Juventus per report

Update: July 7th, 9:05AM EST — Yildiz off to Juve

Bayern Munich, Juventus, and FC Barcelona have been entwined in a bizarre transfer triangle involving a few different players, but Kenan Yildiz appears to be the player making the first move.

The Bayern Munich youth player drew interest from both FC Barcelona and Juventus, but is headed to Italy per Sport1:

According to SPORT1 information, the Turkish U-17 national player is moving to Juventus Turin with immediate effect. The Italian record champions have given him a long-term professional contract.

The Old Lady was initially considered an outsider when courting Yildiz, but prevailed against FC Barcelona, ​​who had been favored in the meantime.

—C.Smith

Update: July 5th, 9:10AM EST — Bayern unable to meet financial demands of Yildiz

Bild has confirmed that Kenan Yildiz will leave Bayern Munich as the club could not meet the player’s financial demands.

“Yildiz is a young, talented player who we would have liked to have accompanied further on his way. However, we could not and did not want to meet his financial demands. Therefore, unfortunately, Yildiz will leave us,” Salihamidžić said.

—C.Smith

Per Fabrizio Romano, Bayern Munich are set to lose a precocious talent from their youth ranks with Juventus joining FC Barcelona in competing for the signature of Kenan Yildiz. The youngster has been at Bayern since 2012, and he’s still only recently turned 17.

In fact, long-time readers may recall the first time he was featured here at BFW: back in 2016, when he was strutting his stuff with the U-11s. That occasion produced the below highlight reel:

So this is a pretty major bummer. Yildiz is very much the homegrown talent we love to see break through the ranks. When he signed from the SSV Jahn Regensburg youth setup, he had just turned seven. Now he’s a tall, rangy attacking midfielder (standing 1.85 meters, or about 6’1”) who has worked his way through to the U-19s — approaching the age where he could be just on the cusp of something big.

On the other hand, attacking midfield is one position where, by stroke of luck or sheer effort, Bayern find themselves flush with numbers — both in the senior and youth ranks: Jamal Musiala, Paul Wanner, Lovro Zvonarek, to name a few. Experience elsewhere may be the right move at the right time for young Kenan.

In any case, it certainly looks like he won’t be renewing his just-expired contract. And in Barça and Juve, the kid has earned himself some plum opportunities. That’s to his credit, and will be a point of pride for the Bayern academy. Silver linings.

All the best to Kenan — hope we’ll see great things from him in the future, wherever that lies.