Tuchel thinks departure is “possible”
Joshua Kimmich is not untouchable at Bayern Munich
7/20/2023, 7:01 p.m
FC Bayern is still looking for the ideal midfielder. Even Joshua Kimmich is no longer untouchable. The leader on the six also has to endure speculation after a verbal smack. With a lucrative offer, he could leave Munich.
Joshua Kimmich is completely in his element. The Bayern professional reported on “games, fun and joy” from the training camp at Tegernsee, and “work is also part of it”. He provided his humorous post on the net with the club motto “Mia san mia”.
The 28-year-old, that becomes clear in the days of Rottach-Egern, burns for his job, for his club. But is Bayern also on fire for Joshua Kimmich? As a midfield boss, he is no longer untouchable. According to “kicker”, the record champion – as with Leon Goretzka, whom Thomas Tuchel publicly counted (“There’s a lot of room for improvement”) – would at least be willing to talk to Kimmich if there was a lucrative offer.
Tuchel’s crush on England international Declan Rice, who ultimately preferred Arsenal to Bayern, was a slap on the wrist for Kimmich (and Goretzka). “This player has a profile that I don’t think we have in the squad,” said the coach. Someone like Rice, he added, “could be an interesting addition to the squad.” Because: “We need a certain quality, personality to make our squad even stronger. There aren’t many…” But leader Kimmich should stand for quality on the six.
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The doubts are not new, Bayern also see the weaknesses – but they have recently downplayed them publicly. “It is of course the case that every player has a phase when not everything runs smoothly and not everything shines,” said President Herbert Hainer. You have to concede this to players like Kimmich because of his great merits. For Tuchel, a departure would therefore be “a big surprise”. However, he did not want to rule out a Servus from Kimmich this summer. “Transfer period is transfer period,” he said at Tegernsee, “everything is always possible”. He therefore does not want to deny the speculation about Kimmich. In those excited days, that almost sounded like a confirmation.
Kimmich himself confessed in June that he had no thoughts of changing. “As everyone knows, I still have two years of contract – and we have big plans,” he said. According to President Joan Laporta, the interested FC Barcelona refrained from a transfer “for economic reasons”. Tuchel, on the other hand, continues to push for the purchase of a six after Rice’s basket. Although patron Uli Hoeneß confessed that for him “the discussion about the six does not arise at all”. He believes that Konrad Laimer will “have a lot of fun”.
Nevertheless, the French international Aurelien Tchouameni is traded by Real Madrid as a possible access. What does that mean for Kimmich? A transfer “always involves three parties,” said Tuchel, “if we have a contract and don’t want it, nobody will leave.” Kimmich is tied until 2025. “We work together with Jo here, there is absolutely no reason to comment on that,” added Tuchel.