"He is not a superstar": a single sentence ignites an English race for the Bayern talent

Will Bayern Munich let him go?

Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United have joined the race for Lennart Karl, the 18-year-old Bayern Munich prospect who has turned heads with his attacking displays. The interest comes amid a swirl of controversy over his situation at the club and his future.

Christian Falk, a journalist at German newspaper "Bild", revealed that officials from all three English clubs rang him to ask about Karl's standing at Bayern. He made the claim during a conversation with Julian Agardi, the Bavarian club's correspondent, on the "Bayern Insider" programme on the "Bild" channel.

That English interest followed the recent storm around the teenager. Uli Hoeness, the Bayern Munich patron, took aim at Karl, saying he is still far from being a superstar. Young players, Hoeness stressed, need to show humility. He also rejected any comparison with Michael Olise, insisting the gap between the two remains large.

Falk put the price for a move at 60 million euros, a figure comfortably within reach of Premier League clubs. He added that no negotiations have yet begun over a new contract for the player.

Yet Falk ruled out any chance of Bayern giving up their young talent. The club have no intention of selling and will not let him leave for a trifling fee, he said, not least because Karl is an academy graduate earmarked to shape the future of the team.

These developments chime with words from Jan-Christian Dreesen, Bayern Munich's sporting director, who told newspaper "Sport Bild" recently that the club have the financial muscle to fund any transfer.

Karl's deal with Bayern runs until 2029, after the contract he signed on his eighteenth birthday was converted into a professional one.