Messi at Bayern? The Bavarians are chasing the 18-year-old striker with a star name » His name can make millions in marketing
Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published Friday, March 13, 2026 9:55 p.m. / Updated Friday, March 13, 2026 10:10 p.m.
Bayern Munich could bring in a player with a famous name in the near future: Messi. Rayane, the 18-year-old young French striker, is being monitored by the German champions, according to information published by German media.
Although the name Messi immediately brings to mind the legend Lionel, this time it is about a much younger footballer trying to forge his own path in European football.
Bayern have been chasing Messi for a long time
According to Bild, Bayern officials have been tracking Rayane Messi since his youth days at Dijon, before he arrived in Strasbourg.
“If you had told me Bayern were interested in a player developing in Saudi Arabia, I would have been skeptical. But he belongs to Strasbourg and is only on loan, and the club has been chasing him since before“, Bild journalist Falk explained in the Bayern Insider podcast.
The French is on loan in Saudi Arabia
Currently, the young striker belongs to RC Strasbourg, the club that transferred him in 2024. For the first team, however, he made only two appearances in the Cup. In order to accumulate minutes, the footballer was initially loaned to Pau FC in Ligue 2, where he scored two goals in 16 matches.
Later, in February, the loan was terminated and the player arrived at Neom in Saudi Arabia. For the new team he has a goal and an assist in six appearances.
Rayane Messi is also present on the junior national team circuit, having one goal in six matches for the U19 category of the French national team. His contract with RC Strasbourg runs until 2030.
Interest and for marketing reasons
In addition to the sporting qualities, the management of Bayern Munich would also see an important commercial potential in this transfer. A player with the name “Messi” in the team could have a major impact at the merchandising level, with shirts with this name almost certainly being highly sought after by supporters, the quoted source notes.
