Bayern Munich Weigh Brobbey Move but Prioritize Gordon

Bayern Munich’s summer planning is starting to take shape, and it already carries a clear message: backup projects will only be tolerated at backup prices.

Brian Brobbey, who only joined Sunderland from Ajax Amsterdam ahead of this season for just over €20 million, sits right on that fault line. The Independent reports that any club trying to prise him away from the “Black Cats” would be asked to pay around €50 million. For a player earmarked as a reserve, that is serious money.

At the Allianz Arena, the hierarchy up front is not in doubt. Harry Kane is the undisputed No 9. Any new centre-forward walks in knowing he is playing second fiddle. That role is currently occupied by Nicolas Jackson, on loan from Chelsea until the end of the season, and already drifting towards the exit.

Bayern have managed his minutes carefully. Jackson’s loan includes a compulsory buy clause triggered by a set number of starts; his limited game time means that threshold will not be met. The German champions will let the clause lapse, and the 24‑year‑old is now being linked with AC Milan as he looks for a more permanent home in Serie A.

So the question in Munich is simple: how much is a Kane understudy worth?

Brobbey’s season at Sunderland hardly strengthens the case for a big outlay. Six goals and one assist in 25 Premier League appearances is solid, not spectacular. Bayern know it. They also know his track record is uneven. His stint at RB Leipzig was a failure: 14 appearances, no goals, and a swift return to Ajax for €16 million. Only back in Amsterdam did he find his rhythm again, scoring 56 times in 163 matches before making the move to England.

There is, however, another side to the Dutchman. Ask Jonathan Tah. The Bayern centre-back will not have forgotten the Nations League meeting with the Netherlands in September 2024, when Brobbey bullied him throughout the first half. Tah was forced into repeated fouls, eventually withdrawn at half-time to avoid a second yellow card. On his day, Brobbey is a handful.

But Bayern’s transfer gaze is drifting elsewhere.

Reports from Sky in Germany paint a clearer picture of the club’s true priority: versatility. The Bavarians want someone who can support or challenge Luis Diaz on the left, drift centrally, and give the attack a different shape around Kane. They are not just shopping for a backup striker; they are reshaping the frontline options.

That is where Anthony Gordon comes in.

Sky describe Bayern’s interest in the Newcastle United forward as “very concrete” and label him the “absolute top choice” to operate behind the irreplaceable Diaz. At 25, Gordon offers exactly what the German champions crave. He can play wide, lead the line as a central striker, or slot in as a No 10 behind a traditional No 9 such as Kane. One signing, three roles covered.

Bayern are understood to be willing to go as high as €70 million for the England international. It is a serious figure, a clear signal of intent. Yet on Tyneside, it may only raise a wry smile. Newcastle are under Financial Fair Play scrutiny and might be forced to consider sales, but they are not in the business of giving away their best players cheaply, especially one who has become a symbol of their resurgence.

Complicating matters further, Arsenal and other Premier League heavyweights are also tracking Gordon. Bayern can offer the weight of their history and a near-guarantee of competing for titles every season, but they will be up against clubs with deep pockets and the lure of staying in England.

All of this feeds into a broader strategic debate in Munich. The club does not plan to rip up its medium-term transfer strategy for one window. Heavy spending on both Brobbey and Gordon would run counter to the careful financial planning Bayern pride themselves on. Choices will have to be made.

That reality pushes Brobbey further into the “nice to have” category. A €50 million outlay for a player seen primarily as Kane’s backup, with a mixed Bundesliga past and a modest first season at Sunderland, is hard to justify when the same budget could be directed towards a multi-functional forward in his prime.

Gordon, by contrast, fits the modern Bayern template: flexible, high-intensity, comfortable in several attacking roles and capable of lifting the level around an already world-class centre-forward. If Newcastle’s FFP situation opens even a small door, Bayern will be ready to push.

One thing seems clear already. Next season, Kane will still be at the heart of Bayern’s attack. The real intrigue lies in who lines up around him – and whether the club choose the raw power of Brobbey, the all-court dynamism of Gordon, or gamble on a different name entirely to shape the next phase of their forward line.