The FC Barcelona board seems to have decided to sign Jonathan Tah as their first reinforcement for the next summer transfer window. In Germany, various media outlets are considering the arrival of the Hamburger to Catalonia at 'zero cost', once the 28-year-old defender completes his tenth season at Bayer Leverkusen, the club he joined in 2015 for 9.5 million euros.
The latest information on the Leverkusen '4' points to the advanced state of negotiations between Barça and the German international, who would arrive on a free transfer to receive a salary close to 4 or 5 million euros net per year.
Likewise, the signing of Tah would open the door to one or more Barça defenders. Players such as Eric García, Andreas Christensen (both on the way out for the winter) and Ronald Araújo himself could be left without a place if the signing of the German goes through. However, Barça will not force any exit, since by the start of the next summer market they should already have the freedom to sign under the 1/1 rule.
Real Madrid and Bayern, close to giving up on Jonathan Tah
Beyond the rumours about an agreement in principle with Barça, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have not lost hope of bidding for the Hamburger next summer, although both boards are concerned about the latest rumours about the centre-back. And the fact is that Jonathan, for the moment, has only hinted at his desire to leave Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the current season, a factor that has sparked the interest of several European giants.
However, Tah is not thinking of delaying the resolution of his future too much. The 28-year-old defender will have complete freedom to negotiate with any club from next January 1 and his entourage believes that this will be the decisive month to find out where the Leverkusen '4' and the German national team will continue his career.
Beyond his imminent departure, Xabi Alonso has continued to count on the defender, who has already accumulated 1,489 minutes of action spread over 17 games, scoring one goal in the Bundesliga (against Wolfburg). Jonathan will celebrate a decade at Bayer next summer, which is why he has earned the respect of the club in deciding his future. In July, everything seems set for him to wear the Barça shirt, a reinforcement that will be a blow on the table for the Catalans.