Tonight’s clash between FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich is generating a lot of interest, not only in the fans of the involved teams but also among the neutrals, as this is one of the most mouth-watering ties in the League Phase of the UEFA Champions League.
The build-up to this game has also been interesting, as the Bavarians recently teased the Catalans with their social media activity, while several players from Die Roten have also commented on this upcoming game.
One of the most noteworthy comments ahead of this game was made by Joshua Kimmich, who did not rule out a potential move to Barcelona in the future as he addressed a press conference ahead of this game.
The German midfielder’s contract with the German giants is ending at the end of this season, and he has been linked with the Blaugranes for more than a year now. Bayern Munich and the player are still involved in negotiations for renewal, and the talks are looking to be going in the right direction for now.
However, despite this attempted wooing, SPORT reports that FC Barcelona will not be interested in the signing of Kimmich next summer as they believe this operation will be too expensive for them, and they want to bet on their academy products instead.
Reports from German media indicate that the midfielder is demanding €15 million in salary, plus bonuses which can take his annual recuperation up to €20 million. These figures are particularly high for Barcelona, who had already ruled out signing the German because of his high salary demands last summer.
On the other hand, they want to bet on their youth products, particularly Marc Bernal, despite the fact that he recently suffered a torn ACL, and is out for the rest of the season. The club is also satisfied with Casado, but they see Bernal as a special talent who can be a part of their midfield for the next decade.