United contact Bayern's Lennart Karl as Carrick defends Martinez after Chelsea red card

Manchester United have reportedly reached out to the representatives of Bayern Munich attacking midfielder Lennart Karl as the club searches for reinforcements during a turbulent season that has left them hovering just above the Premier League relegation zone on goal difference.

Karl, 18, has made more than 50 appearances for Bayern and has already earned a senior Germany cap. His future at the Allianz Arena has been thrown into doubt following public comments from Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeness, who said: “He’s far from being a superstar. Young players need humility. Comparisons with Michael Olise obviously don’t do him any good. There’s still a world of difference between them.”

Those remarks have reportedly caused significant unrest, with Karl’s agent — former Germany international Michael Ballack — said to be unhappy with the public criticism. According to Bild, United, Liverpool and Arsenal have all made contact with Karl to discuss his situation. The report adds that the teenager could be available for as little as £50m, with his contract at Bayern running until 2029.

On the pitch, United’s problems deepened on Saturday with a 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, a result that compounded the pressure on manager Michael Carrick following last week’s home loss to Bournemouth. Lisandro Martinez was sent off during the Chelsea match, receiving two bookings — one for lashing out at Morgan Rogers and another for catching Wesley Fofana with a stray arm.

Carrick, however, has moved to defend the Argentine centre-back, insisting he has no reason to question Martinez’s commitment to the cause. The 28-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, and his long-term future at Old Trafford remains uncertain after he also publicly criticised director of football Jason Wilcox last month.

United now face a critical week, with a Champions League home fixture against Roma on Tuesday followed by a Premier League visit from Aston Villa on Sunday. Roma arrive at Old Trafford in strong form, sitting third in Serie A and unbeaten after 10 games. In the Champions League, the Italian side have collected four points from three matches, one more than United, who have suffered consecutive defeats to Atletico Madrid and Como.