Bayern try to secure Prescott amid rising outside interest
MUNICH, DE — Bayern Munich are working to extend Leonard Prescott’s contract beyond June 30, 2027 as attention around the 17-year-old goalkeeper keeps building. Chelsea and Juventus are among the clubs reported to be seriously tracking the New York-born German-American, while several Bundesliga sides have also looked into a move.
Prescott has been viewed for some time as one of Bayern’s most promising academy keepers. The club is trying to protect that investment, but the next steps in his development are already becoming a bigger question than his potential alone.
A first-team opening briefly appeared last spring
Prescott’s stock rose sharply last March when Bayern’s goalkeeping situation was hit by injuries and he was pulled into Vincent Kompany’s senior squad. At just 16 at the time, he was close enough to the first team that a Champions League debut against Atalanta was briefly in play.
He did not get on the field, but he finished the season with six senior matchday squad call-ups across the Bundesliga and Champions League. That run showed how quickly Bayern were willing to trust him when the depth chart thinned.
Jonas Urbig’s rise complicates the Bayern route
The problem for Prescott is that Bayern’s long-term No. 1 plan increasingly points toward Jonas Urbig. The 23-year-old, who joined from Cologne in January 2025, has added valuable senior experience and is being positioned as Manuel Neuer’s successor.
Bayern’s wider goalkeeper planning suggests they now want experience behind Urbig rather than another young challenger blocking the pathway. Prescott was moved up to the reserves this season to get regular Regionalliga minutes, but a meniscus injury in the summer required surgery and interrupted that plan.
Bayern still rate him highly despite the injury setback
Even with the competition and the injury, Prescott remains highly regarded inside the club. The reserve move was meant to help him build a steady run of competitive games, and Bayern have not lost sight of his talent or long-term value.
That said, his immediate route to the first team now looks less direct than it did earlier in the year. If Bayern keep Urbig on the path to the No. 1 shirt, Prescott may have to decide whether he is better served waiting or moving somewhere he can play sooner.
US Soccer is watching his international future closely
Prescott’s international decision could matter just as much as his club future. Born in New York and raised in Germany, he is eligible for both countries and has already represented Germany at youth level, including multiple appearances for the U17s.
Transfermarkt reports that U.S. Soccer has made its interest known and views him as a possible long-term answer in goal, with a pathway toward the 2030 World Cup. That makes his next move important for both his club development and his national-team options.
Chelsea, Juventus and the 2030 decision ahead
For now, Bayern want to keep the door open and preserve their control over one of their top academy keepers. But with elite clubs monitoring him and the United States hoping to persuade him, Prescott’s situation has become a genuine three-way balancing act.
His next steps will be shaped by where he can play, how Bayern map the succession after Neuer, and whether the United States can convince him that his international future belongs with the USMNT. The competition for his signature is likely to intensify before that choice is made.
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