Xavi wants Barcelona to sign superstar from European rivals, player valued at €60m - Reports
Barcelona boss Xavier Hernandez has reportedly told the club to snap up Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich this summer. The German has been at Bayern since 2015.
Kimmich, 29, has been a mainstay in the Bavarians' midfield for nearly a decade. He has made close to 400 appearances across competitions, bagging 42 goals and 104 assists. That includes two goals and 10 assists across competitions in 42 games this term.
He's approaching the final year of his stay at the Allianz Arena, but talks about an extension haven't been fruitful. Barca have eyed Kimmich for a while. As per El Nacional, Xavi has urged the club hierarchy to land the diminutive German to improve their fortunes next season.
With the departure of the legendary Sergio Busquets last summer, Barca haven't adequately filled up the defensive midfield spot. Oriol Romeu has been impressive, but Kimmich, with a market value of €60 million, could be an excellent addition, immediately improving the roster with his world-class attributes and big-game experience.
It remains to be seen if club president Joan Laporta can pull off the transfer, especially considering Barca's well-documented financial woes, which rules them out of most big-money transfers.
What's next for Barcelona?
Barcelona have had a largely forgettable season. Following their failed La Liga title defence, they are set to end the campaign without a trophy, after winning the league and Supercopa Espana titles last season.
The club fared well in Europe, reaching the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, but squandered a 4-2 aggregate advantage at home to lose to Ligue 1 winners PSG.
After losing to Real Madrid in the Supercopa Espana final and Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey, a 4-2 defeat at Granada ended their hopes of successive league titles.
They returned to winning ways last week with a 2-0 home win over Real Sociedad before winning by the same scoreline at Almeria on Thursday (May 16). Xavi's side next play Rayo Vallecano at home on Sunday (May 19) before closing their league campaign at Sevilla six days later.