FC Bayern's turn: Why Tom Bischof is one of the most sought-after players

Market value increase in December awaits

Eintracht Frankfurt, VfB Stuttgart, RB Leipzig – and now also FC Bayern. Almost every major club from Germany has been linked to Tom Bischof in the past few weeks. The Hoffenheim professional's contract ends next year and the prospect of being able to sign one of Germany's greatest talents for free is rare. The 19-year-old's market value is likely to reach a new high in December.

On Monday, “Sky” reported on the interest of the record champions, who are said to have already obtained specific information about the player in order to carry out an attack at the turn of the year. Just last week, the “Kicker” wrote that Leipzig was trying its hardest to get the youngster, but the TV station now formulated this in a much more defensive manner. Three weeks earlier, “Bild” Frankfurt had reported great interest. The race for Bischof is probably still open at the moment, and Hoffenheim also still has a chance of an extension. But what makes the left-footer so popular?

Bischof has been considered one of the greatest talents in Germany for years. Sebastian Hoeneß helped him make his Bundesliga debut in March 2022 at the age of 16 years, eight months and 19 days. In TSG's club history, Bischof is the youngest player to be deployed; only Youssoufa Moukoko and Paul Wanner are ahead of him in the league (statistics).

But the big breakthrough didn't materialize at first; by the start of the current season, Bishop had only been called up to the starting eleven four times. Not least because of this, there was no big courtship last summer despite only having one year remaining on the contract. In the TM interview in autumn 2023, the Aschaffenburg native patiently emphasized that he wanted to “first concentrate on the here and now and give everything to help Hoffenheim.” Even if TSG's results still have room for improvement (14th place with twelve points from twelve games), the next step has been achieved.

FC Bayern interested: Bischof expects a major increase in market value

Bischof is positioned in the midfield center and pulls the strings in the TSG game. Both Pellegrino Matarazzo and Christian Ilzer, who took over two and a half weeks ago, rely on the DFB junior, who received the Fritz Walter Gold Medal in October. Afterwards, in a club interview with Hoffenheim, he said he had “grown up”. Working with a mental trainer helps him, among other things.

“Together we pay attention to which fixed rituals are good for me to get into my rhythm before kick-off. It could be the same music on the bus ride or a motivational saying just before it starts. But what has worked very well since this season is that I write the number seven on the inside of my hand. I associate the number with creativity and that is what defines me as a player. If I make a mistake, I know that the number is with me and will help me in the next situation,” said Bischof, who scored his first Bundesliga goal with a direct free kick in the 4-3 win against RB Leipzig. At the latest, he brought up the possibility of a massive increase in market value in the upcoming update on December 20th.

Bishop is currently valued at 3.5 million euros, user “Brian_Jonez” demands in the market value analysis, in which registered TM users can take part in the discussion and value determination: “Strong performances, young, called up to the U21 and collects international experiences. All attributes for an upgrade. Internationally, high sums are paid for similar players in the position. Therefore, 10 million is not wrong.”

“strubehoved” also says: “Bishop not only played his way into the starting eleven, but also found his role. I currently find him much more convincing on the eight. In this role, at 19, he is already an above-average Bundesliga player. He shows that he won't be a forever talent, but can help a Bundesliga team now. Anything less than 8 million would no longer do justice to this.”