Barcelona keeping tabs as Bayern Munich star eyes exit following broken relationship with Thomas Tuchel - Reports
The relationship between Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel and his German stalwart Joshua Kimmich is reportedly at a crossroads, and has alerted Barcelona about the latter's availability.
The Blaugrana have been longing for an elite defensive midfielder for some time now and are seemingly looking to take advantage of the rift between Tuchel and Kimmich.
Barcelona are reportedly monitoring the situation with intentions of snapping up the former Leipzig man if an opportunity comes up in the summer. The Catalan giants are yet to replace the legendary Sergio Busquets, having relatively failed with their experiment to appoint Oriol Romeu as his successor.
Renowned German publication Bild has recently come out with a report that sheds light on the fractured relationship of 29-year-old Joshua Kimmich and his manager at Allianz Arena.
The report also mentioned an altercation that the German international had with Tuchel's assistant coach, Zsolt Low, following his side's inexplicable 3-2 loss to VfL Bochum in the league.
The duo have reportedly been at odds for a long time now, with the former Chelsea boss even attempting to sign a defensive midfielder earlier. Thomas Tuchel also decided not to field Kimmich in Bayern Munich's recent 3-0 loss to league leaders Bayer Leverkusen, despite the midfielder's efforts to regain fitness for the crucial match.
Joshua Kimmich is currently valued at a whopping €75m by Transfermarkt. However, with his contract set to expire in 2025 and Kimmich seemingly unhappy with Tuchel at Bayern, the reigning Spanish champions could acquire Kimmich for a cut-price fee in the summer.
Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel on Barcelona's shortlist to succeed Xavi - Report
With less than five months left in Xavi's abdication of the managerial position at Camp Nou, the Blaugrana are currently looking for his successor. Multiple high-profile names like Jose Mourinho, Hansi Flick, and Roberto De Zerbi have been linked with the job, with Thomas Tuchel becoming the most recent addition to the list.
The Bayern Munich boss has come under fire following a series of underwhelming results for his star-studded side. Amidst the chaos, a report by The Athletic's Pol Ballus has emerged that links Tuchel to the soon-to-be-vacant managerial spot at Barcelona.
The report suggests that the Spanish outfit could make a move for the 50-year-old manager if he were to receive the boot from Bayern Munich's upper management.
Bayern Munich have now lost three games on the bounce - 3-0 against Leverkusen, 1-0 against Lazio, and 3-2 against VfL Bochum.