Manchester City likely to beat Barcelona in race for €50 million-rated midfielder

The race to sign Joshua Kimmich is about to heat up in the coming few weeks, as it appears the arrival of Vincent Kompany as the new Bayern Munich head coach has exacerbated the midfielder’s chances of leaving Bavaria.

Bayern Munich have already put forth certain conditions that will allow them to offload Kimmich in the coming summer, provided they are met.

This has put Barcelona on red alert, as the Catalans await an ideal market opportunity to snap up the German international.

Man City overtake Barcelona in the race

However, despite Barcelona’s long-standing interest in Joshua Kimmich, it seems the Catalans may soon get trumped by English champions Manchester City.

That is according to Diario SPORT, which suggests that Man City have emerged as a potential destination for Kimmich, especially with Pep Guardiola pushing for his signing.

Guardiola is ready to reunite with Kimmich (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Guardiola is aware of Kimmich’s abilities, having worked with him during their time together at Bayern Munich.

Manchester City look set to secure a swift transaction and are willing to meet Bayern’s demands for Kimmich. Perhaps that is where Barcelona fell short.

Did Barcelona give up on Kimmich?

This report comes on the back of Barcelona president Joan Laporta publicly ruling out the signing of Kimmich.

Although the club were keen on Kimmich’s services, they were simply not in a position to meet Bayern’s demands or pay the midfielder’s hefty salary.

Barcelona’s failure in Kimmich’s pursuit has opened the door for Man City to snap up one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga.

It must be noted that Kimmich’s priority was to join Barcelona. The player was courted by Paris Saint-Germain as well, though he now prefers to play in the Premier League.