Manchester City are trying to turn the race for Kennet Eichhorn into something more complicated than a normal transfer. The plan reported in the brief is to trigger his release clause this summer, loan him straight to Bayer Leverkusen, then bring him to the Etihad later. Bayern München, Borussia Dortmund and Hertha BSC all still want to keep him in Germany.

Why City think the loan route matters

This is not being framed as a guaranteed move, and it should not be treated like one. It is a reported plan, not a done deal, and the clause itself is also not cleanly settled in the reporting. Some sources put it at €12 million, others describe a range of €10 million to €12 million, with the final fee varying depending on Hertha’s league status, the buying club’s location and European competition involvement.

City's pitch is about the pathway, not just the price. Guardiola is personally driving interest in the teenager, and the idea is to give him Bundesliga football with Leverkusen before any move to England. That matters because the 16-year-old is already operating at senior level. He has made 18 competitive appearances for Hertha and scored twice, which is why this feels like a first-team recruitment rather than a speculative youth punt.

The case for City is also helped by the fact they have won 8 of their last 10 matches, which suggests a club confident enough to take an unusual route. The German competition is real, though. Bayern have won 6 of their last 10, and Dortmund have 5 wins from their last 10, so neither side is fading away.

Why the teenager is drawing so much attention

Eichhorn's profile is already doing a lot of the work for City and their rivals. At 16 years and 287 days old, he became the youngest goalscorer in 2. Bundesliga history against Greuther Fürth. That is the sort of marker that makes the clause talk matter, because the interest is being driven by a player who has already shown he can handle senior football.

Leipzig are part of the picture as well, having finished third in the Bundesliga, which only adds to the number of domestic routes being considered. For now, though, the clearest version of the story is City trying to buy early, develop him in Germany and then take him on later. That is a neat way to compete with Bayern and Dortmund, and it may well be the most persuasive one.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →