German giants Bayern Munich have announced plans to launch a scouting network in India in hopes of discovering the region's next football star.
Bayern have had a longstanding relationship with Asian football, with Iranian legends Ali Daei and Ali Karimi playing for the side in the late-1990s and mid-2000s respectively.
This trend has continued with the season-long loan signing of Japanese winger Takashi Usami from Gamba Osaka, who could make a permanent move to the Allianz Arena should he sufficiently impress.
Bayern are now set to take their interest in Asian talent a step further by setting up a scouting network in India, the second-most populous country in the world with its 1.2 billion people.
Speaking at the launch of the FC Bayern Youth Cup, a mini-pitch tournament for fourteen to sixteen-year-olds to be staged in a number of countries, former Bayern midfielder Paul Breitner told he saw no reason why the next star of world football could not hail from Asia, or even India.
"Players from all over the world are in Europe nowadays, so why wouldn't we see Indians among their number in the next five or six years?" Breitner said, according to Bayern's official website.
Bayern acting board director Andreas Jung shared the same sentiments, and claimed the club would do all they can to unearth the next Indian footballing talent.
"India is growing incredibly fast, and that goes for its football too," said Jung.
"We're convinced India can become a very important market for this club.
"We can't guarantee uncovering a player capable of joining us as a professional, but it's well worth a try."
Jung also confirmed the first edition of the FC Bayern Youth Cup will be staged in New Delhi in October, which would symbolize the start of their scouting plans in the country.
"The very first task is to lay down foundations, and then we'll see how things develop."
600 youths will be selected to take part in October's tournament, where the best young footballers will be brought to Munich to take part in training and trial matches in May 2012.
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