Jurgen Klopp is now understood to be ‘in the race’ for Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich, according to Christian Falk.
The No.6 could help fill a void at Liverpool should the Reds not look to extend Thiago Alcantara’s contract ahead of its expiration this summer.
“I’ve heard that Jurgen Klopp is now in the race for Joshua Kimmich. There’s the German connection to consider – Klopp and Jorg Schmadtke – which always helps!” the Bundesliga journalist exclusively informed CaughtOffside.
“They will need a player as Thiago Alcantara’s injury struggles have kept him out of the squad and his contract is running out, plus there was Jordan Henderson’s exit last summer, so there is a place in the squad for him.
“A little problem, of course, is that Pep Guardiola also has an eye on Kimmich. He developed Kimmich, brought him in the team and made him into a professional. There’s also a big connection there.
“Bayern Munich are now in a situation where they’re willing to talk about this, as Kimmich also has an idea in his head of leaving in the last year of his contract without signing a new one – a situation Bayern would like to avoid as they’d end up losing a lot of money.”
Falk went on to add that the Merseysiders could look to land the 28-year-old for €50m (£42.6m) this summer: “Bayern would like to have €50m for Kimmich. They know this could be hard to get with just one year left on his contract come the summer.
“On the other hand, he’s a very good player and English clubs have a lot of money. If Bayern don’t get Kimmich on a new contract, they have to sell him.
“If Liverpool and Manchester City decide not to move for him this summer, then Bayern still have a problem on their hands as Kimmich continues to have Xavi on the mind – whom he continues to look up to – and the feeling’s very mutual for the Barcelona coach who would love to sign him in 2025 when he’s a free agent and the Catalan giants also then have a chance to land him.”
Kimmich’s relationship with current head coach Thomas Tuchel has not exactly been without problems, with the former Chelsea boss repeatedly casting doubt over the player’s ability to fulfil the demands of the No.6 role.
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Another Bayern star to fill the void?
Rightly considered a global star, Kimmich would be quite the coup for Liverpool this summer even if he does indeed fall outside the realms of the general age profile favoured by our recruitment team.
Should Thiago search for pastures new, of course, then there will be a genuine void of experience in need of filling – and who better to bring in than the Spaniard’s old midfield partner in Bavaria?
Able to file in at right-back and in a holding midfield slot (and also a No.8 on occasion), the Bayern Munich man would provide both genuine quality and positional versatility in bucket loads.
Quite the potential catch, if you ask us, were we to cast our net out to the Bundesliga once more this summer.