Barcelona met with ‘total refusal’ in pursuit of €80 million midfielder – report

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have received a harsh response from Bayern Munich in their attempt to sign Joshua Kimmich.

The club had contacted the German club for the services of the German international, but Bayern offered a ‘total refusal’. It appears the German giants have no desire to offload their star player, especially after a difficult season, where Borussia Dortmund almost won the league title.

Bayern are focusing on a redevelopment project and Kimmich is likely to play a central role in this new project, especially as old guards such as Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller get phased out.

Barcelona, therefore, are not in a position to sign the former Stuttgart midfielder. The player, for his part, was expecting a formal offer from Barça, but it did not arrive due to the club’s ongoing economic limitations.

Kimmich still has a lot of respect for his club and will not mind continuing at Allianz Arena. Hence, he will not make any effort to force a move to Camp Nou like Robert Lewandowski did last summer.

The report suggests Barcelona have dropped the idea of signing Kimmich for now. Bayern, meanwhile, have opened the door for Leon Goretzka to leave the club. But Barcelona are not interested in the former Schalke starlet, as they are looking for a different profile.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how the Catalans go about their business in the transfer market, as the pressure to sign a new defensive midfielder continues to weigh in.

The likes of Sofyan Amrabat, Martin Zubimendi and Ruben Neves have emerged as likely alternatives, with Barcelona even reportedly promising Jorge Mendes to sign the latter, sooner rather than later.