Barcelona consider swap deal involving 27-year-old star to sign Joshua Kimmich in January transfer window: Reports
Barcelona are reportedly considering a swap deal involving Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong to sign Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich in the winter transfer window. The German star's current contract with the Bavarians runs out in June 2025.
Barcelona have been looking to sign a world-class defensive midfielder since the departure of Sergio Busquets in 2023. According to Spanish newspaper El Nacional, Barcelona are keen on signing Joshua Kimmich in the January transfer window in a swap deal involving Frenkie de Jong.
The Catalan side have been linked with Kimmich for a while now but so far, a deal hasn't materialized. Signing a pivot seems essential for La Blaugrana at this stage, with only La Masia youngster Marc Casado covering the position this season.
Kimmich is often considered among the best pivots of his generation. In 414 outings for Bayern Munich across competitions, the Germany international has contributed 43 goals and 110 assists.
De Jong, who is reportedly one of the highest-paid players at Barca, has been linked to an exit since the beginning of the season. The aforementioned report suggests that the Dutchman is not a part of Hansi Flick's future plans. De Jong's sale could also reduce Barca's wage bill and partly help resolve their well-documented financial woes.
Notably, Hansi Flick has managed Kimmich at Bayern Munich (2019-2021) and the Germany national team (2021-2023). The midfielder was a part of Flick's 2019-20 treble-winning side of Bayern Munich.
As per El Nacional's report, Bayern Munich will also be open to exploring a swap deal instead of losing Kimmich as a free agent in the summer of 2025. Frenkie de Jong is a versatile talent who can adapt to German football and would serve as a decent replacement for Kimmich. Talks between both parties have reportedly begun with the next few weeks being decisive in sealing the deal.
Bayern Munich enter the race to sign Barcelona attacking target Nico Williams: Reports
A recent report from Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg suggests that Bayern Munich are set to give Barcelona competition for the signing of Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams. The 22-year-old was a top target for La Blaugrana in the summer of 2024 but preferred to stay at Bilbao.
However, Barcelona have reportedly not given up on the signing of Nico Williams in their search for a top-class left winger. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich are also reportedly monitoring Williams' situation and are keen on securing the Spaniard's services in the summer of 2025.
The Bavarian side will be looking to sign two wingers next summer, depending on the future of Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane, and Bryan Zaragoza. Bayern directors consider Williams a great option to reinforce the attack.
The aforementioned report suggests that Nico Williams will be available for a reported €55-60 million. The Spaniard is reportedly open to a move to Barcelona in 2025 but the deal may not be easy for the Catalan giants with multiple European sides also said to be interested.