What’s the story?
Manchester United and Manchester City are both interested in signing Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich. The 22-year-old is considered to be one of the most talented youngsters in world football and both United and City are keen to sign a versatile player who can play in a variety of positions.
According to Kicker, United have already initiated talks with Bayern but face some stiff competition from their arch rivals Manchester City. Kimmich has struggled for starts under Carlo Ancelotti this season and he could be looking for a move away from the Bundesliga giants this summer.
In case you didn’t know...
Pep Guardiola during his time at Bayern Munich gave Kimmich his big break. The German midfielder was played in the right-back position by the Spanish manager where he put in a number of stellar performances.
Capable of playing in a variety of positions, Kimmich is regarded very highly by the Bayern Munich hierarchy and only a bid in the excess of £35 million would even get the Bundesliga giants on the table.
Also read: Best is yet to come from Pogba, says Robson
The heart of the matter
According to reports, Mourinho is keen on a midfield reinforcement and he wants Kimmich to play alongside Pogba in the centre. Pogba has had a mixed season so far and Mourinho believes that the presence of the 22-year-old German would free Pogba and get the best out of him.
Pep Guardiola, on the other hand, is keen to replace his full-backs and he is confident about Kimmich stepping upto the plate and performing well at the right-back position for Manchester City.
What’s next?
With Philipp Lahm retiring after the end of the season, Joshua Kimmich has been earmarked by the Bayern Munich backroom staff to play an integral role next season. Also, with matches coming thick and fast at the business end of the season, the 22-year-old could find some regular playing time before the end of the season.
Also read: Manchester City fined £35,000 by FA
Author’s take
Joshua Kimmich is highly rated by Bayern Munich and a transfer for the young 22-year-old will be difficult to pull off for the Premier League giants. With Lahm and Alonso retiring at the end of the season, Bayern Munich will be reluctant to let players go and a transfer for Kimmich looks a bit improbable to pull off for both Manchester United and Manchester City.
