According to Sport, as cited by Calciomercato, Barcelona are closely monitoring German right-back, Joshua Kimmich. As per recent speculation, the Blaugrana defender Nelson Semedo is not willing to continue at the Catalan club, and they might bring in the Bayern Munich ace as a replacement in the summer transfer window.
As per the recent reports, the Portuguese right-back has said that he does not want to be a part of the Barcelona squad for the next term.
Why Kimmich?
The 24-year-old German has shown his class and has been more effective in attack than even some of the wingers in the top flight clubs in Europe. Let’s have a look at his stats.
The Bavarians won the Bundesliga last season despite the fight being put up by Borussia Dortmund. One of the stars of the show for them was Kimmich. The defender scored two goals and dished out 19 assists in 48 matches in the last term to show for his efforts. His darting runs down the right-hand side, and his ability to terrorise the defence with his classy footwork has made him a star in the Bayern Munich ranks.
Kimmich was directly involved in 21 goals in all competitions in the last term. On the other hand, Semedo, who made 46 appearances for the Blaugrana in the last term, was directly involved in only four goals. The Portuguese right-back has not been able to capitalise on the opportunities thrown at him by Ernesto Valverde in the absence of Sergi Roberto.
The gulf in class that the stats mentioned above show between Kimmich and Semedo should be evidence enough for Barcelona to become interested in the German international. With a long career ahead of him, the 24-year-old right back can certainly hit the ground running for the Catalan club if they can land him in the summer transfer window.
A Good Inclusion For Valverde?
Though Kimmich would be a noticeable upgrade in the right back position for not only Semedo but also Sergi Roberto, his inexperience of playing in the La Liga might be an argument that could go against him. However, when it comes to the European front, the player has been one of the best performers for Bayern Munich this season despite their lacklustre performance in the Champions League.
Barcelona, on the other hand, were also knocked out by the same opposition in the semi-final of the Champions League and had to finish the season with only the La Liga trophy. Ernesto Valverde has been heavily criticised for his inability to guide them to victory in the European front and might look to make significant changes in the side ahead of the next season. The possible inclusion of Kimmich would definitely give a huge advantage to the Barcelona backline and can be a significant step by Valverde in the bid to save his job.
