Barcelona Transfer News Roundup: Catalans suffer Joshua Kimmich blow, club rejected PSG's €250m offer for rising star, and more - September 16, 2024
Barcelona secured a 4-1 win over Girona at the Estadi Montilivi on Sunday, September 15, in La Liga. A Lamine Yamal brace, coupled with goals from Dani Olmo and Pedri, made it five wins out of five for Hansi Flick's team this season.
Meanwhile, the Catalans have suffered a setback in their pursuit of Joshua Kimmich. Elsewhere, the Spanish giants rejected a massive offer from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for one of their rising stars this summer.
On that note, let's look at the major Barcelona transfer stories from September 16, 2024.
Barcelona suffer Joshua Kimmich blow
Joshua Kimmich has revealed that he is willing to extend his stay at Bayern Munich. The German midfielder has entered the final year of his contract with the Bavarians and Barcelona are plotting to take him to Camp Nou next summer.
The Catalans are looking for a pivot midfielder, with the club yet to properly replace Sergio Busquets. Kimmich is the perfect candidate for the job and the La Liga giants are relishing the prospect of signing the 29-year-old for free in 2025.
However, speaking recently as cited by acclaimed journalist Fabrizio Romano, Kimmich hinted that he could end up staying at the Allianz Arena.
“I’m available to discuss with the club. It’s always nice to feel the support from the club, and I’m just enjoying the moment. It’s important to win games,” said Kimmich.
Kimmich has appeared close to 400 times for Bayern Munich and Hansi Flick reportedly wants him at Barcelona.
Catalans rejected €250m offer for Lamine Yamal this summer, says agent
Barcelona rejected a colossal offer from PSG for Lamine Yamal this summer, according to Dani Olmo's agent Andy Bara. The Spanish forward has enjoyed a spectacular run since breaking into the Catalans' first team last season.
Yamal finished the campaign with seven goals and nine assists from 50 games across competitions. Still only 17, he has invariable drawn comparisions with the legendary Lionel Messi and the Parisians were keen to sign him this year.
Speaking on the Podcast Inkubator, Bara added that the Ligue 1 champions offered around €250m for Lamine, but it was rejected by the La Liga giants.
"One thing I know for sure is that Barcelona did reject a big offer for Lamine Yamal from PSG some months ago. The deal was worth somewhere around €250m,” said Bara.
Yamal has continued his steady rise under Hansi Flick, already registering three goals and four assists from five games this season.
Dani Olmo turned down multiple clubs to join Barcelona, says agent
Dani Olmo rejected offers from multiple clubs to make the move to Barcelona this summer, his agent Andy Bara has revealed. The Catalans signed the Spanish midfielder from RB Leipzig, reportedly paying an initial €55m for his services.
Olmo made a name for himself at the Red Bull Arena and was a wanted man this summer. Despite their financial struggles, the La Liga giants managed to bring their former player back to Camp Nou.
Speaking on the Podcast Inkubator, Bara insisted that the 26-year-old was desperate to return to his alma mater this year.
"The media created a lot of noise, but Joan Laporta told me not to worry and that the registration issue of Olmo would be solved within 15 days, and it was really solved,” said Bara.
He continued:
"We had a lot of offers for Dani, – three or four from big clubs. I don’t want to name them, but Dani always wanted Barca. We had a feeling that Barca would be perfect for Dani, I really pushed for the Barca move to happen and Dani also wanted to go back home.”
Olmo has registered a fine start to life with Barcelona, scoring three goals in three appearances. However, he picked up an injury during the game against Girona and could be sidelined for a while.