Arsenal have been put on red alert with the news that contract talks between Bayern Munich and Joshua Kimmich appear to have broken down.
The German international midfielder, who can also play at right-back, is in the final few months of his contract at Bayern Munich and is free to talk to foreign clubs over a pre-contract agreement for the summer.
It had been expected that any talks would be moot, with the German giants in discussions with the 30-year-old over signing an extension to stay at the Allianz Arena. However, that may not be the case any longer.
According to SportBild, talks have broken down, with the initial contract offer from Bayern now off the table. The report states that Bayern do not understand why Kimmich is stalling on agreeing terms and that the original offer is now no longer valid.
Bayern could yet go back with another offer to Kimmich and his representatives, but it remains to be seen whether that will be accepted if they could not come to an agreement over an initial offer.
Arsenal have long been linked with a move for Kimmich and with both Thomas Partey and Jorginho out of contract at the Emirates Stadium themselves this summer, the German would be a perfect replacement, particularly given he will not cost a penny to sign.
However, the Gunners will have competition for his signature, with a number of other clubs linked with a move, namely Manchester City and Liverpool.
Speaking before Euro 2024, Kimmich said about his future: “Oh, great question. Well, the situation is absolutely clear: I have a contract with FC Bayern until 2025, so it’s not mainly up to me to be active right now.”
It is now up to Kimmich to be active and it will be interesting to see who comes in with an offer and who he chooses.
