A journalist from Germany has claimed that one midfielder who was linked with Liverpool over the summer could potentially be open to leaving his current club at the end of his contract.
During the summer, it was reported that Jurgen Klopp has been an admirer of Joshua Kimmich (FourFourTwo), whose future at Bayern Munich has now been brought under the microscope as he approaches the final 18 months of his deal, which expires in June 2025 (Transfermarkt).
According to Kerry Hau, the 28-year-old is frustrated with life at the Allianz Arena after a ‘chaotic year’ with major changes in personnel at managerial and boardroom level, along with disagreement over Thomas Tuchel about his positional role with the Bundesliga champions.
The reporter told SPORT1: “The chaotic year of 2023 with all these personnel changes and all this unrest also left its mark on Kimmich. Continuity and trust are very important to him and I say that it will not be easy to extend this contract.”
Kimmich’s frustration at Bayern may well have been exacerbated by their shock DFB Pokal exit at the hands of third-tier Saarbrucken on Wednesday night, while the intense competition at the top of the Bundesliga could also see their 11-year monopoly on the domestic title ended this season.
According to Hau, the 28-year-old emphatically views himself as a defensive midfielder in the number 6 role, which could also play into Liverpool’s hands if their interest in him remains.
Alexis Mac Allister has played in that position for most of the campaign so far (Transfermarkt), although there’s a school of thought that he’s slightly wasted in the engine room and ought to be deployed further forward.
That could duly enable the Reds to give Kimmich his preferred role while also freeing up the Argentine to weave his magic higher up the pitch.
Whether Klopp is still pushing for the Germany international is unclear, though, and the Liverpool hierarchy might hold reservations about moving for a player who’ll turn 29 in February and already earns just over £325,000 per week, with only Mo Salah taking home more at Anfield (Capology).
Nonetheless, Hau’s comments could possibly pique the ears of those in the Anfield boardroom as the January transfer window ticks ever closer.