Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno is being lined up by Bayern Munich.
Now 34, the Cottagers' No.1 has established himself as one of the most reliable goalkeepers in the Premier League since his move to West London four years ago.
As one of the longer-serving and more experienced of Fulham's current first-teamers, losing Leno to Bayern would be a blow – though the call of the Bundesliga giants may be too great for the German to ignore.
Bernd Leno lined up for Bayern Munich role away from Fulham
According to BILD in Germany, Leno is being lined up in an “easy” to complete deal for the Bavarians to become Manuel Neuer's backup.
The former Arsenal stopper is, of course, used to that role, having played deputy for Neuer for Germany, limiting him to just nine appearances for his country since he made his debut in 2016.
Earlier this summer, however, Neuer retired from international duty at the age of 40, and given that he has just entered his 16th season at the Allianz Arena, there's an opportunity for Leno to usurp his senior, should he make the move.
The stopper has proven himself as statistically one of the more impressive between the sticks in the Premier League over the last decade, and may well put forward a good case to challenge for the No.1 spot – or at least take the shirt if and when Neuer calls it a day.
Leno wouldn't be the first to move to Bayern in recent seasons to compete with Die Roten captain Neuer.
In 2020, the club moved to tie up a deal for highly-touted Alexander Nubel from Schalke, but when asked about the deal, Neuer described the 23-year-old's transfer as “irrelevant” to him – and sure enough, the Gelsenkirchen-born custodian captained his side to six trophies that year.
Yann Sommer and Daniel Peretz, meanwhile, have both moved to Allianz as an understudy – with the former used as an emergency option following Neuer breaking his leg in a freak skiing accident – but neither could oust the veteran from his position for long.
The good news for Fulham is that they have no obligation to sell their No.1.
The German left Arsenal for just £8 million, according to the BBC – a cost-effective deal for the time – and with Fulham having an option to extend his deal until 2028, they may even recoup what they spent on the player.
Leno is worth €6m, according to Transfermarkt. The winless Whites play Ipswich Town when the international break concludes and Premier League action returns.
