By OkayGoal
Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are all closely monitoring Lennart Karl, but the Bayern Munich teenager is not a player anyone is about to prise out of Bavaria.
According to Bild, the Premier League trio have the 18-year-old firmly on their radar. Arsenal are not new to this one either, with reports last October explaining that Mikel Arteta’s side had already looked at him.
The catch is simple enough. None of the three clubs have made an offer or moved any further, and Bayern Munich have no intention of letting him leave.
What makes Lennart Karl worth watching?
Karl came through the Bayern youth system, impressing for their U17s and U19s, before making his first-team debut at the Club World Cup in June 2025. Since then, he has 10 goals and 10 assists from 51 matches and 2,406 minutes, which is a serious return for someone his age.
This season has been quieter, with a goal and two assists from 11 appearances. He is mainly an attacking midfielder but can also play on the right wing, so the appeal to all three English clubs is obvious. Arsenal and Liverpool have already been going head to head for one teenager, with Arsenal’s loan plan for Gilberto Mora putting them ahead in that race.
United, meanwhile, are clearly looking around Europe for midfield talent, having recently sounded out Barcelona over Fermin Lopez.
No offer yet, and no intention to sell
Karl signed a contract until 2029 in February, so Bayern hold all the cards. His market value sits at €60m, unchanged since last December, but any sale would cost a good deal more than that.
Even then, a buyer would have to convince the player as well as Vincent Kompany’s side, and the Bundesliga winners are in no mood to sell.
Why did Uli Hoeneß call him out?
The interesting part is the noise around him in Munich. Bayern’s honorary president, Uli Hoeneß, spoke about the youngster in an interview last weekend and did not exactly gush. Hoeneß said: “I intend to have a serious conversation with him. He is far from being a superstar; young players need humility. Comparisons with Olise are obviously not good for him; there’s still a world of difference between them.”
Max Eberl took a softer line when asked about those comments. He said: “What’s happening with Lenny is a completely normal process for a young player.” Eberl also pointed to the injury that cost him the World Cup. A muscle problem in June kept Karl out until August, and Jürgen Klopp later moved him from his first Germany squad to the second for workload management.
Kompany has preached patience too, saying of the teenager’s form this month: “His moment will come.”
Lennart Karl transfer verdict: one to watch, not one to bank on
We would not expect anything to happen quickly here. Monitoring is cheap, and with a 2029 contract and a club that wants to keep him, this is about being first in the queue should the mood in Munich ever change.
That said, a public telling-off from Hoeneß is exactly the sort of thing rival clubs take note of. Arsenal and Liverpool have bigger things on their minds when they meet at Anfield on Sunday, but for all three clubs Karl looks like a name to keep on the list, and little more for now.