FC Barcelona eye Leverkusen's star center-back for a free move next summer

FC Barcelona have got to a brilliant start in the 2024/25 campaign. With the complete 12 points from the first four fixtures, the Blaugrana club currently stands at the top of the La Liga table. However, a major issue Hansi Flick's new Barcelona project has been facing is one of the thinnest squad depths ever.

FC Barcelona eye Leverkusen's star center-back for a free move next summer

Currently, the club is left with very few options for some particular roles. Especially for the center-back position, Flick's squad has only three players, with Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez being the starters and Eric Garcia coming later as a substitute. Clearly, the Blaugrana club needs at least one option more for the role, and regarding the same, the club has been linked with Leverkusen's star defender.

Coming on the back of an almost invincible season with Bayer Leverkusen, Jonathan Tah stood out as one of the pivotal players in the club's successful campaign. Standing at 6'4, the German defender has been the backbone of the club's defense for quite a while now. Being the solid defender he is, as expected, he has attracted some of the best European clubs recently.

On top of that, given the fact that Tah's contract expires with Leverkusen next summer, the defender could be an ideal reinforcement for FC Barcelona. In fact, reports from Mundo Deportivo indicate that the Blaugrana club has Tah on a clear desire list to strengthen their squad in 2025.

Moreover, the fact that Tah has expressed his mind clearly that he wouldn't renew his contract at Leverkusen sounds significant from Barca's perspective. Recently, when questioned about his future at the Bundesliga Champions, Tah said,

""My decision is as clear as before. I will not renew my contract for professional reasons.""

- Jonathan Tah

While recent reports suggest that FC Barçelona has informed the player's agent that they want him for free next summer, it wouldn't be easy to convince him because there are several clubs also interested. Being a veteran in the center-back role, the 28-year-old is much valued in Europe, and Barcelona would need to offer big to bring him.

Overall, Barca seems sufficiently interested in signing Jonathan Tah as a free agent next summer, but there are many other clubs interested in him, as well. With the summer 2025 window still much away, it remains to be seen how things unfold and would FC Barcelona be able to add Tah to their roster.