Bayern Munich have signed another youth talent. This time it’s 19 year old Paul Will, captain of Kaiserslautern’s U-19 team, who will be joining the Bavarians on a free transfer.

Reportedly Kaiserslautern offered Will a professional contract, but the midfielder turned them down for the opportunity to join Bayern in the summer. Will had this to say about his transfer:

I’m grateful to 1. FC Kaiserslautern and look forward to the new challenge at Bayern, to take my next step in development. To get this chance with such a big club is motivation enough.

The move comes in conjunction with Bayern Munich’s recent pivot towards youth. After the completion of a state-of-the-art new youth campus, the club have been snatching up promising young players in the 16-19 year age range, usually on free transfers. Paul Will, who plays as a midfielder, will join his new teammates after the conclusion of the current season.

He joins a talented generation of Bayern youths, including the German-Brazilian winger Oliver Batista Meier, young strikers Manuel Wintzheimer and Franck Evina, attacking midfielder Timothy Tillman, South Korean youth player Wooyeong Jong, and possibly USMNT youth player Taylor Booth. It’s an exciting time for fans of the club’s youth system.