Father of Bayern Munich wonder-kid holds transfer talks with Manchester City

Manchester City are ‘strongly interested’ in securing the services of highly-rated Bayern Munich centre-back talent Cassiano Kiala, according to new reports.

The Etihad Stadium hierarchy have regularly shown a willingness to engage early with representatives of youth talents, even when immediate transfers are not possible, ensuring pathways are discussed well in advance.

Over the last two years, City have increasingly positioned themselves as a long-term destination for the game’s most promising stars, combining elite coaching with a structured development pathway that often includes gradual integration via the academy or loan system.

That approach has been evident in recent youth recruitment activity, particularly in Germany and Spain, where Manchester City scouts reportedly remain active. And Cassiano Kiala’s rapid rise within Bayern Munich has not gone unnoticed. With City also maintaining strong links to top intermediaries across Europe, early relationship-building has become a strategic priority.

Now, according to the information of The Mirror’s Ryan Taylor, the father of the highly-rated aforementioned Bayern Munich centre-back Kiala flew to London on Friday for private discussions with both Chelsea and City – with the latter ‘strongly interested’

Kiala – who is close to making his first-team breakthrough at the Allianz Arena – is said to be internally widely regarded as one of club’s most-promising young talents alongside breakthrough attacking wonder-kid, Lennart Karl.

Interestingly, it is reported that super-agent Jorge Mendes was in Munich last week to meet both the player and his family, while the reigning Bundesliga champions understandably want to keep the former Hertha Berlin youth starlet ‘at all costs’.

From the side of Bayern Munich, it is explained that the club have huge confidence Kiala will become a first-team regular under manager Vincent Kompany, with a notable recent push within the club to integrate more homegrown talent.

On the subject of Bayern Munich and their intentions, follow-up reporting from market expert Fabrizio Romano revealed that the club are in ‘advanced talks’ with Kiala over new long-term contract, and are confident of avoiding any hijacks from Premier League clubs.

From Manchester City’s perspective, any discussions at this stage are likely to be exploratory. With Kiala not turning 18 until January 2027, Premier League regulations prevent an immediate move, meaning talks would instead centre on long-term planning.

Should Bayern Munich succeed in finalising a new deal, as some expect, City may be forced to shelve their interest temporarily. However, maintaining dialogue with the player’s camp could prove valuable should circumstances change closer to the expiry of his current contract.

For now, the situation underlines Manchester City’s continued presence at the very top of Europe’s youth recruitment landscape.