Barcelona plot ambitious bid for Bayern Munich target

Barcelona have reportedly entered the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah this summe

Tah has entered the final year of his contract with Bayer Leverkusen this summer and the German side have been keen on either extending the centre-back’s contract or selling him so as not to lose him for free next summer. Bayern Munich have been heavily interested in signing the 28-year-old but have reportedly decided against making an offer.

Spanish publication Sport has reported that Barcelona are now showing interest in Tah for a move this summer with the Bundesliga champions reportedly asking for a fee of around €20 million (£17m/$22m). The Catalan side have seen Mikayil Faye join Rennes and Clement Lenglet go on loan to Atletico Madrid, and are also close to agreeing on terms with Girona over the sale of Eric Garcia for a fee of around €15m (£13m/$17m). They will now look towards Tah as a potential backup with Hansi Flick looking for fresh blood in defence.

While Barcelona are likely to be able to afford the purchase of Tah, the registration of the centre-back will be an altogether different issue. The five-time Champions League winners have been struggling with registering players for the last couple of years due to their bloated wage bill. This summer they have been unable to register new signing Dani Olmo to their squad despite the departures of the likes of Vitor Roque and Ilkay Gundogan.

With just a few days remaining until the end of the transfer window, Barcelona will have to pull off some quick departures if they want to be able to sign Tah this summer. The transfer window will close on August 30.