Bayern tracking Virgil van Dijk regen who would dominate in Bundesliga

Bayern Munich are understood to be keeping an eye on the development of Brighton centre-back Luka Vušković.

The Croatian international, who transferred from Premier League rivals Tottenham in the summer for a £50m fee, is understood to be on the shortlists of a number of top European sides.

However, a move on the part of the Bundesliga giants will be dependent on the Bavarians first offloading one of their backup centre-backs.

Bayern need to sell a defender first

(Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

So we have the central crux of the issue: squad balance and financial prudence. In other words, the two defining features governing Bayern’s squad building in recent years.

“ It is TRUE: Bayern Munich are among the clubs keeping an eye on Luka Vušković’s development at Brighton,” Christian Falk exclusively informed CF Bayern Insider.

“Both sides have a history; Vušković was offered to FC Bayern before he made the step to the Premier League. Bayern didn’t have the space or the money to make a serious push for the Croatian at that point in time. Of course, he’s young and has plenty of time to develop further, so it’s natural he’d still be on the list.

“As I say, almost in every column, if they sell Min-jae Kim or Hiroki Ito, there will be a place and the money available to sign a new defender. In that scenario, Luka Vušković is absolutely an interesting player for Bayern Munich, as he’s already shown his capabilities in the Bundesliga during an impressive loan spell with Hamburg.

“There is also interest from the footballer in playing for Bayern. So, a good sign from both sides for potential future talks. But at the moment, Bayern Munich are not in a situation where they can make an offer. Nonetheless, they’re keeping the centre-back on the shortlist and are continuing to track his development.”

A reasonable starting position, we should add, given that we’ve seen in this international break alone just how problematic spending untethered from a league’s financial stipulations can be.

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However, this position is ultimately a complicated one for FC Bayern, because Min-jae Kim is no longer clearly destined for the exit door at the Allianz Arena. That situation could change following some clarification in talks scheduled between club and player, of course.

But then there’s a wider question around the funds on the table, given that a sale of, say, Hiroki Ito is unlikely to supply FC Bayern with the funds to break even on a move for Vušković.

A shame, perhaps, that Bayern did not look to snap up the footballer when he was available for peanuts in 2023.

Is it fair to compare Luka Vušković to Virgil van Dijk?

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Based on the pair’s comparative (albeit limited) data in the Premier League? Definitely not.

But for the purposes of predicting how the Brighton star would get on at a club of Bayern’s prestige in German football, they perhaps need only take a look at the teenager’s remarkable loan spell with Hamburg in 2025/26.

And there are similarities in traits that have defined Virgil van Dijk’s game over the course of his Liverpool career.

* Luka Vušković’s stats in the 2025/26 Bundesliga season (FotMob)

Luka Vušković hasn’t quite nailed down the Dutchman’s raking, crossfield passes. But we can see why some early comparisons have been made, given the impressive levels of dominance shown in ground and aerial duels.

Numbers have, admittedly, collapsed since the Croatian’s return to the Premier League. But we are talking about a more physically demanding top-flight compared to the Bundesliga – and a league defined by a greater abundance of outfits that can pose a threat to the “big boys”.

More to the point, Vušković himself is still firmly in developmental mode at 19 years of age. So, you can absolutely forgive interested clubs for putting their faith in the centre-half’s potential, Bayern included.