In its search for the most promising talents of tomorrow, FC Bayern has apparently had a promising young Bundesliga competitor on its list for several years.
As “Bild” reports, it is Brajan Gruda from FSV Mainz 05. The German record champions have had “an eye on” the now 19-year-old since he was 15, writes “Bild”. Accordingly, signing Gruda has already been discussed several times in FC Bayern’s youth academy.
So far, those responsible in Munich have always kept their thumbs down. Background: With Paul Wanner and Arijon Ibrahimovic, the club has two extremely promising offensive talents. Both are even two years younger than Gruda and, according to internal assessments, even more talented than the Mainz player.
The problem: Even Wanner and Ibrahimovic recently had no prospects of playing time in the Isar’s star ensemble. Against this background, Wanner moved on loan to the second division promoted SV Elversberg, Ibrahimovic to Frosinone Calcio in the Italian Serie A.
In addition, the relationship between FC Bayern and Mainz when it comes to youth work has been tense for a long time because the Munich team poached three brothers aged nine, twelve and 14 from Rheinhessen in the summer of 2022.
A move to FC Bayern unlikely?
It currently seems unlikely that FC Bayern will strike at Gruda.
The youngster in the 05 jersey is currently causing a sensation and has played nine competitive games for the professionals so far (one goal, one assist).
In the 1:3 defeat against Munich on Saturday, Gruda was one of the most noticeable Mainz players. Veteran Thomas Müller even swapped jerseys with the German U21 international after the game and dedicated an Instagram post to him.
Gruda’s contract in Mainz runs until June 30, 2026. His market value is estimated at around five million euros.