Who is Can Uzun? The Griezmann clone eyed by Newcastle and Bayern

Tom Weber

• Updated: 20 Jan 2024 16:04 GMT
• 9 min read

Can Uzun is taking German football by storm this season.

The Turkish youngster has starred in his first campaign playing senior football for second-division Nurnberg and is attracting big-name attention, with the likes of Bayern, Dortmund, Newcastle and Brighton all interested in the 18-year-old.

But who is Can Uzun and how good is he really?

What position does Uzun play in?

Uzun plays mostly as a number nine, but he is not a traditional centre-forward. He operates as more of a second striker or false nine and can also be deployed in attacking midfield.

How good is Uzun?

Can Uzun shares a hometown, Regensburg, with fellow Turkish wonderkid Kenan Yildiz, but unlike the Juventus star, the 18-year-old never actually played for local club Jahn Regensburg. Instead, Uzun was in Ingolstadt's academy before joining Nurnberg's youth setup in 2019.

The youngster made his 2. Bundesliga debut as a 17-year-old last term, but only played 74 minutes across three outings. This term, following the departure of striker Kwadwo Duah, head coach Cristian Fiel has put his trust in Uzun and the teenager has handsomely repaid the faith, notching 8 goals and an assist in 16 outings so far.

On January 20, 2024, he notched a stunning brace in a 3-0 rout of Hansa Rostock, with his first goal being a brilliant curling effort from the edge of the box. Though mostly deployed as a centre-forward, Uzun is anything but a traditional number nine. The Turkish youth international is a second striker, false nine, winger and attacking midfielder all rolled into one.

Uzun is as comfortable with the ball at his feet as he is running into space, boasting decent pace, a good size at 186cm (6ft 1in), technical qualities and composure in front of cool beyond his years. According to data experts SciSports, the teenager profiles similarly to Atletico Madrid legend Antoine Griezmann.

It is, therefore, unsurprising that many clubs in Europe's elite divisions are keeping an eye on the youngster and he could very well be on the move in the summer.

What clubs are interested in Uzun?

According to Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, Uzun will be available in the summer of 2024 for "more than €10 million." The journalist asserts that Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt are the big-name domestic sides interested in signing him.

The wonderkid also has suitors in England and Spain, with Newcastle, Brighton, Everton, Fulham and Villarreal all tracking him.

When does Uzun's contract expire?

Uzun's contract expires on June 30, 2027.

How old is Uzun?

Uzun was born on November 11, 2005, making him 18 years old.

What is Uzun's Instagram?

Uzun's Instagram account is @can.uzun10 and has 27k followers as of January 2024.