Barcelona blow: Leading summer target close to big-money Bayern Munich switch | OneFootball

A leading figure on the transfer wishlist of La Liga giants Barcelona is inching towards a move to another of the continent’s top clubs.

That’s according to German football insider Florian Plettenberg, who points towards Xavi Simons as the player in question.

The name of versatile attacker Simons has of course taken its place front and centre in the headlines in Catalunya’s capital for some time now.

This comes after word was forthcoming that Deco and the Camp Nou brass had identified the Dutchman as a leading target to reinforce the squad of incoming manager Hansi Flick.

Amid Barca’s long-standing financial woes, it was even suggested that a loan deal could be on the cards, with Paris Saint-Germain.

As alluded to above, however, if the latest word stemming from the media on Friday is anything to go by, then the Blaugrana now appear to have fallen behind in the Simons sweepstakes.

As per Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, it is Bayern Munich who are increasingly confident of landing the 21-year-old.

‘Concrete negotiations’ have been kicked into gear by the Bayern board, over an initial loan deal, featuring an obligation to buy for a sum of €60-70 million.

The deal is far from assured, with RB Leipzig still in the race, too, but it is looking increasingly likely that, come the start of next season, Simons will call the Allianz Arena his new home.

Conor Laird | GSFN