Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is well aware of Jonathan Tah‘s qualities, having coached him for the German national side, but he will also be conscious of the strength of the Blaugrana’s chief adversary in their attempts to sign him. Tah has confirmed he will not renew his deal at Bayer Leverkusen and will be a free agent next season.
The 28-year-old has been identified as a target for the Blaugrana, who have four of their five central defenders out of contract in the next two years as things stand, and clearly his signing would be economical with no transfer fee.
However Fabrizio Romano has revealed on his Here We Go podcast that Bayern Munich, who spent months trying to find a deal with Leverkusen for the central defender, have already had an agreement on personal terms with Tah for the past three months. Romano also confirmed Bayern still intend to sign him.
Barcelona do have a close relationship with Tah’s agent, Pini Zahavi, which could aid them in any negotiations, but the reality is that it will likely be difficult for the Blaugrana to get close to Bayern’s financial offer. The Catalan side remain over their salary limit, and incapable of using all the money they bring in on transfers.