La Liga heavyweights Barcelona have reportedly offered €20 million to sign 28-year-old German defender Jonathan Tah from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Jonathan Tah is the subject of interest from Barcelona. The Catalan giants are keen on signing a centre-back before the summer transfer window shuts down. They have submitted a bid worth €20 million to land the 28-year-old Bayer Leverkusen defender before Friday’s transfer deadline.
However, Simon Rolfes has quashed rumours of an impending exit for the German international. In an interview with Sky Deutschland, as relayed by Fabrizio Romano, the Bayer Leverkusen director said, “I’m expecting Jonathan Tah to stay. I had no call with Bayern or Barcelona recently. There are no news at all regarding a deal, so I expect him to stay. We are calm. Tah is a mature player and is totally focused. We are not contemplating any moves.”
Jonathan Tah and his career so far
Jonathan Tah has been one of the best players in the Bundesliga in the last 12 months. While the experienced defender is a veteran of the Bundesliga, he blew hot and cold for most of his professional career before becoming a consistent performer under the tutelage of Xabi Alonso.
The 28-year-old has turned out over 350 times thus far for Bayer Leverkusen while chipping in with 14 goals and 12 assists. However, after helping deliver the Bundesliga title last season, Tah’s stock has skyrocketed. In addition, he has entered the final 12 months of his contract with Die Werkself, with the situation alerting several high-profile clubs, including Barcelona.
Barcelona interested
Barcelona’s interest in Jonathan Tah is understandable. The Catalan giants are keen on signing a centre-back before the summer transfer window shuts down after losing Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen to long-term injuries. With Jules Kounde likely to play as a right-back for most of the 2024/25 campaign, Barcelona must sign a central defender after running short of options.
Tah has thus emerged as a viable target for Barcelona, with the Blaugrana submitting a bid worth €20 million to sign the 28-year-old German international. Recent reports have also heavily linked him with Bayern Munich, with the Bavarian giants targeting him as a replacement for Matthijs de Ligt.
However, with Simon Rolfes ruling out a late departure for the experienced defender, a deal will unlikely see the light of day. So, Barcelona must look elsewhere for a centre-back before the summer transfer window shuts down.
