Bayern Munich have joined the race to sign Birmingham star Demarai Gray, reports the Sunday People via the Birmingham Mail.
Liverpool, Everton and Manchester City have sent scouts to watch the 19-year-old, and he has also been described as an Arsenal target by the Daily Express. Also, Bournemouth and Leicester City were both rejected by the forward in the summer, according to the same source.
The youngster signed a three-year contract with Birmingham only months ago, which has a £4.7 million release clause [Express]. Although even if this clause is activated, the player may yet stay at the Championship club. Manager Gary Rowett doesn’t want to sell, and the teenager wants to be playing regularly, according to the People.
Bayern may be on the lookout for a young winger, as both Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery are the wrong side of 30. The Dutchman is 31-years-old and his French teammate 32-years-old, meaning two of the Bavarian side’s best players will need replacing sooner rather than later. With pace such a big part of the wide-men’s games, it could be that their performances tail off dramatically as they age, particularly considering their patchy injury records.
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The signing of Douglas Costa for £21 million [BBC] over the summer solves the problem in part for manager Pep Guardiola, meaning he could gamble on a younger player such as Gray to back up the Brazilian. Last season, the England Under-20 international scored six goals in 41 Championship games, with 13 of those appearances coming from the substitutes’ bench.