Liverpool and Barcelona among clubs keeping tabs on €20 million-rated LaLiga star: Reports
Barcelona and Liverpool are reportedly among the clubs interested in Sevilla and France centre-back Loic Bade. Bade, who began his senior career at Le Havre, gained prominence following standout displays for Lens and Stade Rennes in Ligue 1.
Since joining Sevilla in 2023, he has become a crucial part of the team, and has consistently delivered strong performances over the past two years.
The 24-year-old was also part of France’s Olympics team that recently won the silver medal in Paris. Additionally, he received his first call-up to the senior squad for France’s Nations League clashes in September, though he did not play due to a minor muscle injury.
Overall, Bade has made 68 appearances for Sevilla and is currently valued at €20 million. However, Sevilla rejected an offer of that amount from AS Roma in the summer and are reportedly expecting at least €10 million more to consider a sale.
Several clubs, including Barcelona, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich, are closely monitoring Bade’s progress.
According to Sport, Barcelona are keeping an eye on the defender in case a sale happens next season. La Blaugrana are well-stocked in the centre-back department, with Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Andreas Christensen, Ronaldo Araujo, and Jules Kounde. Should one of them depart next summer, they could move for Bade.
Liverpool, meanwhile, also have solid depth in the centre-back position, but with Virgil van Dijk’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, they may find themselves in the market for a defender in 2025.
Bayern Munich star refuses to rule out Barcelona transfer
Joshua Kimmich's contract with Bayern Munich is set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 season and he hasn't yet signed an extension with the Bavarians.
Kimmich has been strongly linked to Barcelona, given his previous experience with their current coach, Hansi Flick, both at Bayern and with the German national team.
Ahead of the Champions League clash between the two sides on Wednesday, Kimmich discussed his future, stating that he cannot rule out the possibility of a move next season.
"In football, one can never make the mistake of ruling out possibilities. Now, to answer directly, I’m not thinking about it at the moment, but in football you should never rule anything out,” he said (via Barca Blaugranes).
The 29-year-old also expressed his long-standing admiration for Barcelona, mentioning that he grew up watching Pep Guardiola’s successful Barcelona team.
“Barça left its mark on me, and Spain too. They won three major tournaments in a row, and, above all, Xavi Hernández, when I was little, was my idol,” he added.
Barcelona and Bayern Munich will both be gunning for a victory, having started their respective Champions League campaigns with one win and one defeat each.