Bayern Munich's Search for Harry Kane's Support: Brobbey vs. Gordon
Bayern Munich’s search for support behind Harry Kane is beginning to look less like a simple squad tweak and more like a statement about the club’s attacking future.
On one side of the ledger stands Brian Brobbey, the powerful Dutch striker who only just landed at Sunderland from Ajax for a little over €20 million. On the other is Anthony Gordon, Newcastle United’s relentless livewire and, according to Sky, Bayern’s “absolute top choice” for a new attacking role.
Two very different profiles. One clear direction.
Brobbey: Big fee, bigger question mark
Sunderland’s “Black Cats” will not be offering any discounts. The Independent reports that Brobbey, despite a modest first season in England, would cost around €50 million. For a player likely earmarked as Kane’s understudy, that is serious money.
The numbers hardly scream bargain. Six goals and one assist in 25 Premier League appearances is solid but far from explosive. Bayern know this. They also know there is risk attached: Brobbey’s previous Bundesliga stint at RB Leipzig ended in disappointment, with no goals in 14 games before he was sent back to Ajax for €16 million.
He did rebuild his reputation in Amsterdam, scoring 56 times in 163 matches and rediscovering the penalty-box menace that made him such a highly rated prospect. Jonathan Tah will not need reminding. Brobbey tormented the Bayern centre-back in the 2-2 Nations League draw between Germany and the Netherlands in September 2024, forcing repeated fouls and effectively hounding Tah to a half-time substitution to avoid a second yellow.
That glimpse of his ceiling is what tempts big clubs. Yet for Bayern, the equation is more complicated.
The current backup role behind Kane belongs to Nicolas Jackson, on loan from Chelsea. His time in Munich is drifting towards a quiet end. Limited minutes mean Bayern will sidestep the compulsory buyout clause tied to a certain number of starts, and Jackson is now being linked with AC Milan. Once he goes, the gap behind Kane reopens.
But Bayern’s hierarchy is not inclined to spend heavily on a player whose primary job would be to sit and wait. For Brobbey, that is a problem.
Gordon: Versatility, FFP pressure and a €70m push
While Brobbey is framed as a pure No 9 option, the focus in Munich is shifting towards flexibility. Sky reports that Bayern are actively targeting players who can both support and challenge Luis Diaz on the left, drift centrally, and adapt to different attacking shapes around Kane.
This is where Anthony Gordon comes into sharp view.
At 25, the England international offers something Brobbey cannot: positional freedom. Gordon can start wide, operate as a central striker, or drop into the No 10 pocket behind a traditional No 9. For a club trying to refresh its attacking patterns without ripping up the structure built around Kane and Diaz, that versatility is gold.
Bayern are said to be ready to go as high as €70 million for Gordon. Under normal circumstances, Newcastle might wave that away without a second thought. These are not normal circumstances. Financial Fair Play scrutiny looms over St James’ Park, and while Newcastle can still smile wryly at Bayern’s opening stance, the reality is that major sales may become necessary.
That does not mean Gordon will be cheap, or even available. Arsenal and other Premier League heavyweights are watching closely, and they can match or exceed Bayern’s financial muscle. But the mere fact that Bayern are willing to push towards €70 million for Gordon, while baulking at €50 million for a pure backup striker, tells its own story.
One big move, not two
What is clear from the reporting is that Bayern will not go wild. The club’s medium-term transfer strategy does not allow for a double swoop of this scale. It is Gordon or Brobbey, not both.
The logic is harsh but simple. Heavy outlay on a second-choice No 9 who has already flopped once in the Bundesliga clashes with the club’s long-term planning. A major investment in a multi-role attacker who can play with or without Kane, and spell Diaz on the left, fits the emerging blueprint.
Brobbey remains an intriguing option, a powerful reminder of what he can do when fully confident, as Tah discovered on that bruising Nations League night. But as Bayern sharpen their summer plans, the message from Munich is unmistakable: the next big signing must reshape the attack, not just sit behind it.
