Joshua Kimmich opened the door to a new contract at Bayern Munich this week. The German midfielder was part of the squad that flew to South Korea for a short pre-season tour. After Kimmich’s willingness to stay in Munich, Bayern have taken the first step towards securing his future.
While talking to the press on Sunday (via Sky Sports), Max Eberl confirmed preliminary talks with Kimmich regarding a new deal. Eberl also insisted that Kimmich is an important player for Bayern moving forward.
Kimmich’s future at Bayern was a big topic of discussion in Germany over the last six months. He publicly complained about the lack of support from Bayern during his poor run of form. Moreover, several reports in Germany confirmed Bayern’s interest in listening to offers for Kimmich during the summer transfer window.
Since Kimmich is eager to stay in Munich, Bayern have also decided to stick with him. The Bavarian club will look to find an agreement over a new deal in the coming days. A new deal for Kimmich before the end of the year will be the ideal outcome for all parties.
"It was a very good and positive conversation. We will have further discussions. I think the general perception in Germany does not do him justice. Joshua was an important player for FC Bayern for many years and should continue to be so in the future."Max Eberl
Kimmich is not interested in a move to Paris Saint-Germain
Bayern would have listened to offers for Kimmich this summer. Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Kimmich to bolster their midfield. As per Sky Sports, Kimmich is not interested in moving to Paris. Manchester City also hold an interest in the German midfielder, but no concrete talks have materialized regarding a transfer.
The Bavarian club is looking to trim their wage bill. They would ideally like Kimmich to sign a new deal on a reduced salary. It will be intriguing to see how Kimmich approaches negotiations for the new deal since this is likely to be the last big contract of his career.
Apart from the financial aspects of the new deal, Bayern and Vincent Kompany also need to give Kimmich clarity about his role in the squad. The German international will compete with new signing Joao Palhinha for the number six position. Kimmich may have to play more than often in the right-back position for Die Roten. The next few weeks will give a better picture of Kimmich’s role under Kompany as he looks to extend his stellar career at Bayern.