Manchester City are reportedly ready to go head-to-head with Liverpool for the services of Bayern Munich starlet Jamal Musiala in 2024.
The former England youth international - who has now pledged allegiance to Germany at senior level - has quickly become a key name for Thomas Tuchel on the back of a wonderful 2022-23 season.
Softening the blow of Robert Lewandowski's move to Barcelona, Musiala came up with 16 goals and an identical number of assists in 47 games last season, hitting double figures in both categories during the Bundesliga campaign.
The 20-year-old has also made his presence felt this season with one goal and three assists from his opening nine games of the new term, setting up Leon Goretzka's strike in a 3-1 win over Mainz 05 on Saturday.
A former member of the Southampton and Chelsea youth academies, Musiala has already amassed 32 goals and 26 assists in 134 games for Bayern at his tender age, which has inevitably attracted the attention of Bayern's European adversaries.
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The midfielder's current terms at the Allianz Arena do not expire until the end of the 2025-26 season, but his stock has risen dramatically since he last penned fresh terms in the spring of 2021.
Amid uncertainty surrounding his a possible renewal, Liverpool - who ultimately withdrew from the race to sign Jude Bellingham over the summer - are thought to be running the rule over the Germany international.
However, Football Insider now claims that the Reds will face stiff competition in the form of Man City, who are now actively exploring a deal as they monitor any contract developments.
Bayern are believed to be discussing a new-and-improved deal with the 20-year-old, who reportedly pockets around £83,000 a week under his current terms, but Musiala is not totally content with his situation at the Allianz Arena.
The midfielder is supposedly annoyed at the fact that he is not yet a weekly starter under Tuchel, who has named him among the substitutes for clashes with Bayer Leverkusen, Bochum and Freiburg already this term.
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Nevertheless, Bayern are believed to be growing confident of tying Musiala down to fresh terms, in spite of the fact that Real Madrid are also lurking in the background.
Man City reinforced their offensive ranks with the capture of Jeremy Doku from Rennes over the summer, while also adding Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic to their midfield ranks.
The Citizens sealed a deal for Doku after dropping their interest in West Ham United's Lucas Paqueta, who was the subject of an FA investigation into suspicious betting patterns.
With Paqueta remaining at the London Stadium, Julian Alvarez has instead thrived behind Erling Haaland this season, already boasting four goals and four assists from nine Premier League contests.
Ben Knapton
