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Bayern Munich chief executive officer Oliver Kahn has confirmed Barcelona target Niklas Sule wants to leave the Allianz Arena at the end of the season when his contract expires.
Kahn says the 26-year-old Germany international has rejected a contract extension offer with the Bavarian giants and will look for a new team in the summer, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.
“The negotiations were long. We made him an offer that Süle did not accept. A very good offer was made,” he said. “But we have to meet certain financial limits. We know that Niklas wants to leave at the end of the season.”
Barcelona are looking for low-cost options to strengthen the team, because of the club’s ongoing financial issues, and Sule has emerged as one of several defensive targets for the Catalan giants.
Bild journalist Christian Falk told the Bayern Insider podcast that Sule is on Barca’s wishlist. Sule has been at Bayern since 2017, winning a host of titles including four Bundesliga crowns, the Champions League, and the Club World Cup.
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Barcelona Eyeing Defensive Free Agents
Sule isn’t the only soon-to-be free agent that Barcelona have been linked with recently as the Catalans continue to target low-cost options due to their ongoing financial contraints.
Barca are also “strongly interested” in signing Chelsea center-back Andreas Christensen who is also out of contract in the summer. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports the Catalans will face competition from Bayern for the Denmark international.
Christensen’s Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta has also been linked with Barca. A deal to take the full-back to the Camp Nou has been all but completed, according to Catalunya Radio.
Meanwhile, Barcelona could also move for Ajax left-back Nicolas Tagliafico in the January transfer window. The Catalans are considering a loan for the rest of the season, and the defender is said to be “pushing hard” for a switch.
Tagliafico would offer competition to Jordi Alba on the left of the Barca defense. The 32-year-old is the undisputed first choice but does not really have a back-up as there is no other specialist left-back in the senior squad at present.
Is Sule a Barcelona Fan?
Sule should not lack for offers if he leaves Bayern Munich given his vast experience with both Bayern and the German national team. However, a photo has emerged that suggests the defender is a Barcelona fan.
Sule was pictured at the 2015 Champions League final between Barcelona and Juventus in Berlin, wearing a Blaugrana shirt. The Catalans won the game 3-1 to lift the European Cup for the fifth time in the club’s history.
Plans to strengthen the Barcelona defense come as no surprise given the team continues to look vulnerable at the back. Center-backs such as Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti have both struggled for form and fitness, while a replacement will be needed for 34-year-old Gerard Pique.
Barca do have youngsters Ronald Araujo and Eric Garcia in the first-team squad but may not want to pass up the opportunity to add an experienced, title-winning center-back to the mix.
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