Barcelona’s first signing of the summer has drawn nearer with the news that Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah has announced his intention to depart the Bundesliga side.
Tah will be a free agent at the end of the season, when his contract expires, and the Germany international centre-back is expected to move to Camp Nou to shore up the defence of Hansi Flick’s side.
When asked if he will leave the club in the summer, he is quoted by Kicker as saying: “Yes. Yes, definitely.”
Tah would not confirm that he will sign for Barcelona, where there are still lingering concerns about the capability of the club registering him. Indeed, this had led to speculation that he may even stay with Xabi Alonso’s side.
“I don’t have a timeframe, to be honest,” he added. “But the club knows about it. And I’ve been very open with them, as I always have been.
“Everything was said at the start. There was a point when I made the decision not to extend my contract and not to stay here. And that’s how it’s going to go now.”
As far back as February, it was considered a “matter of time” before a deal with Barcelona was announced, yet it appears there is still a little doubt over this move due to the club’s financial issues, which they had hoped to clear by now.
Will Tah shine at Barcelona?
Barcelona are given a Club Fit score of 71 by data analytics firm SciSports as a destination for Tah. This is based around a wide variety of factors, including how much he can expect to play, his potential for development as well as the way the team plays.
Tah is seen as suited to Barca’s formation by AI but there are major question marks over how he will fit into their style and if he will even get significant playing time.
What is clear, though, is that Leverkusen are about to lose one of their key players on a free transfer.
