Man City hatch plan for HALF PRICE Kimmich

Stuart Telford

• 7 Jan 2024 10:34 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester City are set to launch a bid for Bayern Munich and Germany star Joshua Kimmich next summer, with Pep Guardiola keen to be reunited with his former protégé.

Kimmich has been a mainstay of Bayern's midfield for the last five seasons, having previously burst onto the scene with them as a right-back.

One of the game's best in both positions, the former RB Leipzig man has even captained Bayern when Manuel Neuer has been unavailable.

But Bayern's pursuit of Fulham's Joao Palhinha last summer is understood to have rattled the 82-time Germany international, and he could look for a new challenge rather than continuing his club career under Thomas Tuchel.

Guardiola handed Kimmich his Bundesliga debut in 2015 when he was still the Bayern manager, and player and coach retain a mutual admiration. City plan to be patient, however.

Kimmich for £25m?

"Manchester City will wait until the summer before launching a swoop for Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich," reports The Daily Star's Harry Pratt. "[They] know he will cost the best part of £50 million in the current window - whereas that figure is expected to drop to around £25m come July."

Kimmich is valued at €55.2 million (£47.5m) by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, but with a contract that expires in June 2025, he could be picked up on the cheap next summer.

Kimmich's profile would help almost any team in world football, but few more than City. The English champions have a world class defensive midfielder in Rodri, but Matheus Nunes and Kalvin Phillips have struggled to show that they belong next to him.

John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Rico Lewis have variously been tried in midfield, but all are defenders by trade. Kimmich was once, but has long since shown he can play further forward and thrive.