Is Maximilian Beier ready for a move to one of Europe's top clubs?

The 21-year-old netted 16 goals across 33 Bundesliga appearances for Hoffenheim in 2023/24 and now looks set for a big move this summer.

If you’re a club in the market for a young striker who can find the back of the net with regularity this summer, then Hoffenheim’s Maximilian Beier will probably be near the top of your shopping list.

Fresh off the back of another very impressive campaign in the Bundesliga in 2023/24, the 21-year-old is now attracting the interest of a number of clubs in the Premier League and beyond and with a rumoured release clause of just £25million in his contract, a move appears almost certain over the coming months.

The latest reports rumour that English duo Aston Villa and Chelsea have both made ‘concrete written offers’ in their chase of the German international, but that it’s Borussia Dortmund who are currently in front in the race to grab his signature. Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus are additionally said to hold interest.

With the help of Opta, here’s a quick look at Beier and what skillset he would bring with him this summer if a transfer materialises.

When talking about Beier, there’s really only one place to start and that’s with his goalscoring return last year.

As a youth player, the Hoffenheim forward had long been touted as a future star in the game after showing plenty of promise from an early age. His first team debut followed in February 2020, though at first he struggled to seize his chance. His first goals didn’t come until ten months later during a 4-1 victory over Gent in the Europa League but soon after a two-year loan to Hannover in Germany’s second vision was organised.

That stint at the Niedersachsenstadion saw Beier return just ten goals in 63 matches but since his return to his boyhood club for the start of the 2023/24 campaign, his finishing has improved significantly as a result of his experiences. That upturn in form culminated in the 21-year-old finishing as the fifth top scorer in the Bundesliga last term, netting 16 strikes across 33 appearances and 2,431 minutes of action.

That’s an impressive tally in its own right, but it’s even more so when looking at the range of finishing that has highlighted Beier as not only an effective striker at any level at present, but a forward with the potential to reach the very top in terms of goal scoring.

Of his 16 league goals last season, 11 came with his right foot and five with his left as Beier finished the campaign with a 19.51% shot conversion rate - one of the stronger figures in the division. His goal against Koln on matchday four was arguably the pick of the bunch as he received the ball on the left wing before charging 30 yards towards the box and finishing with a bending right-footed finish into the far top corner from the edge of the penalty area.

That strike was perhaps the best at representing Beier in a nutshell, especially as he loves to drift out to the left in order to pick up the ball where possible. In fact last season, 12% of his overall minutes in the Bundesliga came at left wing for Hoffenheim and as such, a move to the left-hand side of the attack could potentially occur on a full-time basis if he moves to the more physical Premier League in particular this off-season.

That sort of transition could potentially get the best out of one of his other strongest traits too, his love of dribbling. Completing 33 take-ons during the 2023/24 season, Beier is a confident player with the ball at his feet and although his dribble success rate remains low overall, the fact that he attempts to take on his opposing defender in an almost constant fashion means that he remains a danger throughout matches.

That high volume of dribbles also helped to see him finish behind only fellow forward Andrej Kramaric for most attacking sequence involvements amongst Hoffenheim players in the German top-flight last season with 122. With 101 of those either ending in a shot or a chance created, it’s clear to see that Beier directly influences attacking play to a great degree.

Beier has also been compared to Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller throughout this season by a section of the German press and pundits. That’s mainly come when operating in the number ten area of the field, ahead of the defence so to speak, as the Hoffenheim star has proven himself as a player who can find space when needed and almost play as a ‘Raumdeuter’, the role made famous by Muller himself.

But in truth and despite his fantastic dribbling skillset in particular, the conclusion should be made that the 21-year-old is developed as a traditional number nine as that’s where his highest potential lies.

To rattle off a few statistics from last season in the Bundesliga to back that claim up; his 155 touches in the opposition’s penalty area ranked him 11th overall in the competition, his 82 total shots 6th and his 39 shots on target 5th. The below graphic from Opta highlights his playing style throughout the 2023/24 to be most like fellow out-and-out strikers Elye Wahi, Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang and Odsonne Edouard too, alongside West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen who overall has a very similar profile to Beier and could move into a more central role himself as his career further develops.

Of course, just like with any other young player across Europe’s top five leagues, Beier does still possess some fairly noticeable shortcomings. His physicality needs to improve if he is to make a move to the Premier League this summer in particular, as that in itself played a big part in him only recording a 41.02% duel success rate in the Bundesliga last term. His aerial ability can additionally prove to be very hit-and-miss making it hard for him to link play to the best effect on occasion.

His decision making in knowing which option to take at the right time will also need more work as well, as too will his accuracy when crossing the ball from open-play as his 24.32% completion rate paled in comparison to other wingers in the competition last term.

That all being said and no matter where he goes this summer, at this point of his career Max Beier looks poised to thrive and continue his quest to become one of the better forwards in European football.