The last time Pini Zahavi walked into Bayern’s offices, Uli Hoeneß reached for a word he has never softened. The honorary president publicly called the Israeli agent a “money-hungry piranha” during the drawn-out talks over David Alaba and Robert Lewandowski.
Zahavi is back on Bayern’s agenda, and the stakes are smaller in cash terms but awkwardly familiar in shape. He has taken on Brazilian teenager Maycon Cardozo, according to FCBinside, and the move has triggered talks over a player who still does not hold a professional contract.
A teenager Kompany already trusted
Born in Brazil, Cardozo grew up in Thailand after his father moved there to play, passed through Bayern’s Global Academy and World Squad program, and joined the Bayern youth setup on trial in 2024. Head coach Vincent Kompany, who won last season’s Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double with the first team, handed him a Bundesliga debut against Borussia Mönchengladbach last season and later included him in the preseason tour and the Supercup squad against Borussia Dortmund.
Youth development director Jochen Sauer sketched the earlier promotion path in March. “After strong performances in the U-19s during the first half of the season, he was promoted to our reserves during the winter break,” he said when Bayern tied Cardozo to a long-term deal at academy level.
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German reporting, including from Goal, has described the winger as the player Bayern earmarked as cover for Luis Díaz on the left before this season began.
A shoulder injury that reset the plan
That plan has slipped. Cardozo dislocated his shoulder playing for the reserves against FV Illertissen in late August and underwent surgery, with sporting director Christoph Freund confirming on 1 September that he faces three to four months out.
The injury complicates both tracks of the current negotiation. Bayern want to tie down a first professional contract for a player already inside Kompany’s first-team setup. Zahavi has a winter loan on the table as a separate option, per FCBinside, with several clubs having made loan inquiries during the summer transfer window that did not go through.
Bayern and Zahavi, round three
The Hoeneß insult never shut the door between the two sides. Zahavi handled Leroy Sané’s move to Galatasaray and was involved in Jonathan Tah’s transfer to Bayern.
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What is different now is the leverage. Zahavi is negotiating from the position of representing a player Bayern want to keep but cannot force to sign. The next conversation between the club and his agency, Gol International, is expected in the coming weeks.
