Bayern Munich make fresh contact to sign 28-year-old star, Barcelona also monitoring the situation: Reports
Bayern Munich and Barcelona have reportedly shown interest in signing Jonathan Tah in the final few days of the summer transfer window. The Bayer Leverkusen defender's contract runs out in 2025 and he is not keen on an extension.
As per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Bayern Munich would want to sign Jonathan Tah if Kingsley Coman leaves the club in this window. He also stated that contact with the player's camp was made in the last 24 hours to discuss a potential transfer.
"FC Bayern remain attentive to Jonathan Tah situation for the final days of the transfer window.New contacts took place in the last 24h as if Kingsley Coman leaves the club, FC Bayern could try again for Tah. One to watch until the end," wrote Fabrizio Romano.
A June report by GOAL stated that Bayern Munich were ready to splurge between €20 million to €25 million for the defender. However, the offer was way below Leverkusen's initial valuation of €40 to €45 million. The two clubs still went ahead with discussions which ultimately failed.
Despite the failure, Bayer Leverkusen were keen on selling the defender. In an interview with Sky90, Leverkusen's CEO Fernando Carro highlighted the importance of not selling the player on a free transfer:
"We are a club that will not give away players on a free transfer. That means we have to extend the contract, otherwise, we will sell him [Jonathan Tah]."
Now, the Bavarians have renewed their interest with just a few days to go before the transfer window ends.
Barcelona open talks to sign Jonathan Tah amid Bayern Munich's interest
Journalist Florian Plettenberg claimed that Barcelona have also entered the race to sign Die Werkself defender. The report also stated that Bayer Leverkusen wants €30 million to part with the German defender from either club.
Barcelona already have many options in the defense, with the likes of Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Pau Cubarsi, and Eric Garcia. However, Hansi Flick would like more defensive options so that he can freely shuffle his squad and keep the players fresh throughout the season.
Jonathan Tah was one of the architects of Leverkusen's historic Bundesliga win in 2023-24. The German's ability to break opposition attacks helped his club maintain 12 clean sheets in the Bundesliga 2023-24. With interest from both clubs, the player will have to decide whether he wants to join Barcelona or Bayern Munich
Curiously, Jonathan Tah wasn't a regular starter for Germany when Hansi Flick was the manager of Die Mannschaft. This might be a key factor in guiding Jonathan Tah's next adventure after Bayer Leverkusen.