Barcelona have their eyes set on a summer move for German international Joshua Kimmich, as they look to further bolster their defence.
As per reports from Spanish outlet Don Balon, reigning La Liga champions Barcelona are plotting a summer swoop for Bayern Munich full-back Joshua Kimmich.
The Catalans have had a fairly eventful transfer window so far, having brought in as many as four new faces. Starting with the capture of Brazilian midfield sensation Arthur Melo, Barcelona then went on to add defender Clement Lenglet to their ranks and followed it up with the signing of Malcom from Bordeaux.
Most recently, Barcelona completed the signing of Arturo Vidal from Bayern Munich and are now hoping to raid the Allianz Arena once more to acquire the services of Kimmich before the transfer window closes.
The right-back position has been somewhat of a concern for the Blaugrana since the departure of veteran defender Dani Alves back in the summer of 2016. The club persisted with academy graduate Sergi Roberto, a central midfielder, as the makeshift option and brought in Portuguese international Nelson Semedo last summer from Benfica.
However, with Semedo not making much of an impact in his debut campaign and Roberto understood to be keen on returning to his natural habitat in the middle of the park, manager Ernesto Valverde is hoping to bring in a quality right-back ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.
Barcelona were earlier linked with a move for PSG defender Thomas Meunier, following his excellent performances in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. However, the Catalans have now turned their attention towards Bayern’s Kimmich as their long-term solution for the right-back conundrum.
The 23-year old German is regarded as one of the most promising young defenders in the game. Since his arrival in the summer of 2015, Kimmich has established himself as a mainstay at Bayern and has gone on to win three Bundesliga titles along with a number of other trophies. Last season, he featured 47 times across all competitions, netting 6 goals and setting up 17 more.
Kimmich has also made an instant impact on the international stages with the German national team. Since making his debut for Die Mannschaft back in May 2016, the full-back has donned the national colours on 32 occasions and was part of the team that lifted the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2017.
As per the report, the defender is likely to cost Barcelona in the range of €45 million. But, considering Kimmich’s status at the club, and the fact that he still has five years left on his contract, that figure doesn’t seem all that accurate, especially given the current state of the transfer market.
Adding the German international to their ranks would turn Barcelona into top contenders to win their first UEFA Champions League trophy since 2015. However, it remains extremely unlikely that Die Roten will let one of their prized assets leave this summer.
