Barcelona target’s relationship with current club is strained, exit very likely – report | OneFootball

Joshua Kimmich of Bayern Munich is one of the names that Barcelona have on the table to reinforce the pivot midfield position.

The 29-year-old has entered the final year of his contract with the Bavarian giants and a renewal is seeming extremely unlikely, leaving the door open for a summer departure.

Things tense between Kimmich and Bayern

Furthermore, SPORT reports that the relationship between Kimmich and Bayern Munich has strained in recent weeks and things are quite tense.

Since his statements in the documentary on the German channel ZDF in which he said he felt abandoned during the pandemic period, some Bayern directors have a grudge against the midfielder and would not frown upon an immediate sale in this market.

On top of that, Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl aims to reduce the salary costs of the squad for the coming seasons by around 20%.

Kimmich will likely leave Bayern Munich. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Kimmich’s salary currently stands at €20 million gross, an amount that, in the event of a renewal with Bayern, would be lowered to around €15 million, a substantial reduction that the player would not welcome.

All these factors seem to indicate that Kimmich is very likely to leave Bayern Munich this summer.

The midfielder would not be averse to the idea of running down his contract and leaving for free in 2025 if he does not receive an acceptable offer – both in terms of the sporting project and financially.

Apart from Barcelona, Manchester City are also understood to be interested, with Kimmich himself open to the idea of a move to the Etihad where he would reunite with former mentor Pep Guardiola.

Barcelona, for their part, are also looking at Amadou Onana and Mikel Merino, apart from Kimmich. As such, it remains to be seen how they plan on proceeding in the weeks to come.