Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer hits out at Barcelona claiming he ‘doesn’t know why they continue to openly flirt with Joshua Kimmich’
Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer has hit out at Barcelona‘s attempts to lure Joshua Kimmich to LaLiga.
It comes after Xavi lauded the midfielder as a ‘fantastic player’ earlier this month and claimed that negotiations could happen between the two clubs should the German champions be open to it.
‘He is a super top player, who understands the game in a fantastic way,’ the Barca boss told Mundo Deportivo. ‘If there is an open door, there will be a negotiation with Bayern.’
With two years left on his contract, it’s no secret Barcelona have been eyeing up the versatile midfielder for some time. And it is also understood that the 28-year-old has reportedly been seeking a move away from the Allianz Arena after Julian Nagelsmann was sacked in March.
Xavi has instructed the Barcelona hierarchy to attempt to sign the midfielder, who could come in to replace now retired Sergio Busquets and compliment Frenkie de Jong, who also recently said he would be snubbing Manchester United and staying at Barcelona.
Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer has slammed Barcelona’s attempts to sign Joshua Kimmich (pictured)
Hainer (pictured) claimed that the German midfielder was a ‘cornerstone’ of the Bayern Munich midfield and was in their plans for the future
It comes after Xavi has made several indications that he could look to sign the midfielder as a replacement for the retiring Sergio Busquets
Their endeavours to sign the German international have come under scathing criticism from Bayern president, Hainer, who admitted he was baffled that the LaLiga champions continued to approach his side’s player, when he is such a pivotal member of the team.
‘First of all, Xavi was an excellent player and I have big respect for Barcelona,’ Hainer told Sky Germany. ‘But I don’t understand why they’re openly and offensively ‘flirting’ with our player. Joshua Kimmich is an absolute cornerstone for us.’
‘Joshua is a leader, has won many titles with us and will also continue to win titles with us in the future,’ he added.
‘He’s firmly in our plans for the future and one of the players to build the team around.’
Kimmich (middle) has played an integral part of both Bayern and German’s midfield over the years, notably scoring during their friendly against Ukraine last week
Manchester City are also eyeing up a move for Kimmich after it was revealed Ilkay Gundogan (pictured) would be leaving the club
But it appears Barcelona aren’t the only team who are interested in signing the 28-year-old, with Manchester City also interested in acquiring the German international.
Pep Guardiola’s side won the Champions League last weekend, but will part ways with captain Ilkay Gundogan after it was revealed the German was not on their list of retained players for the 2023-24 season.
His compatriot Kimmich, who featured in Germany’s 1-0 loss to Poland last night, could be a fitting replacement, having started in 32 of the 33 Bundesliga appearances he’s made for Bayern this season, while scoring five times in the league.
The midfielder joined from Stuttgart in 2015 and has since gone on to make 347 appearances for the club.
