Bayern Munich annoyed with Xavi’s comments about Joshua Kimmich

Bayern Munich annoyed by Barcelona head coach Xavi's public pursuit of signing Joshua Kimmich. (Photo by Hiroki Watanabe/Getty Images)
Bayern Munich annoyed by Barcelona head coach Xavi's public pursuit of signing Joshua Kimmich. (Photo by Hiroki Watanabe/Getty Images)

The last couple of weeks have certainly confirmed that Bayern Munich will part ways with some of the senior players in the squad. Lucas Hernandez told the club chiefs about his desire to join Paris Saint-Germain this week before leaving for vacation. The Bavarian club will sell Hernandez as long as PSG makes a suitable offer.

Benjamin Pavard has also made his intentions clear about not signing a new deal at Die Roten. The former Stuttgart defender is ready to leave Bayern for a new adventure. Rekordmeister is hoping for a bidding war since several clubs are interested in Pavard.

Apart from Pavard and Hernandez, no other crucial member of the squad is expected to leave Die Roten this summer. Joshua Kimmich has been heavily linked with a move to FC Barcelona in the final few weeks of the season, but the German international has no plans to leave Bavaria.

The reports in Spain have been fuelled by positive quotes from Barcelona’s head coach Xavi. The Spanish coach publicly admitted that he would like Kimmich to join Barcelona. The comments from Xavi have not gone down well at Bayern. While talking to Sky Sports Germany (via iMiaSanMia), Bayern president Herbert Hainer criticised Xavi for publicly speaking about signing Kimmich.

"“First of all, Xavi was an excellent player and I have big respect for Barcelona. But I don’t understand why they’re openly and offensively ‘flirting’ with our player. Joshua Kimmich is an absolute cornerstone for us.”“Joshua is a leader, has won many titles with us and will also continue to win titles with us in the future. He’s firmly in our plans for the future and one of the players to build the team around.”"

Hainer has also made it clear that Kimmich will not be going anywhere in the summer as he remains a pivotal member of the squad. Joshua Kimmich has also squashed speculation during the international break. He sees himself playing for the Bavarian club next season.

The German midfielder currently has two years left on his contract. After poor outings in the Champions League and DFB Pokal last season, Kimmich reportedly has concerns over the sporting development at Die Roten. The German international has no plans to leave Bayern, but he will not rush to sign another contract extension.

Bayern should ideally open contract talks with Kimmich midway through next season. They will not have enough leverage if they allow Kimmich to enter the final 12 months of his current deal. Die Roten will hope that performances from the team in the Champions League improve next season, which will eventually convince Kimmich to sign another long-term deal.

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Joshua Kimmich may have a new role to play for Die Roten from next season, provided Thomas Tuchel gets a new defensive midfielder in the summer. The German coach may push Kimmich higher up the pitch in the number eight role, which will maximise his creativity in the final third.