One of the main areas of the squad FC Barcelona need to strengthen going forward is the midfield pivot. As things stand, there is only one natural midfield pivot in the squad, Oriol Romeu.
While Xavi can deploy players like De Jong and Gundogan in this position, it is still clear that Barcelona needs a strong player in this position to remain competitive with the biggest European sides.
In this regard, things are shaping for one market opportunity to emerge in the coming summer. As SPORT has reported, Joshua Kimmich can be put up for sale by Bayern Munich in the next summer transfer window.
The German currently has a contract till 2025 with the Bavarians, who are trying to reach an agreement with him for a renewal.
However, such an agreement has not been arrived at yet, and if the German champions are unable to convince Kimmich for a renewal by the end of this season, they will put him on the transfer list.
Despite spending a good part of his professional career in Munich, Kimmich and Bayern seem to be going farther apart for some time now. Kimmich remains an important part of Thomas Tuchel’s squad, but he does not agree with the direction that Bayern is taking for its future planning.
There have been massive changes in the administration at Bayern in the last few years, and in addition to Kimmich, other players like Leroy Sane and Alphonso Davies have also been reported to be considering an exit.
Meanwhile, Barcelona have long been associated with the German, and he still is very popular in the Catalan club’s offices. However, the operation to bring him to Spain would be highly complicated because of the high valuation, falling around €75 million, that Bayern are expected to put on Kimmich.
Furthermore, Barcelona are also expected to face competition from big Premier League clubs, with Arsenal, Manchester United, and Manchester City all being highly attentive to the midfielder’s situation. Kimmich would be open to a move to Barcelona, but the Catalans see the operation as unviable.
The only possibility of getting him would be if Araujo goes the other way. However, Barcelona would allow the Uruguayan to leave for a massive fee only if he himself asks for an exit, something that has not happened and is not expected to happen in the future as well.
