Football
Barcelona Lead Real Madrid In Race To Sign Leverkusen Defender Jonathan Tah
Kyle Curran is a sports writer who specialises in football (soccer), horse racing and darts, but has the ability to write about a range of different sports. He can regularly be found providing live football (soccer) commentary on Flashscore. He was also formerly an editor and accredited journalist at Prost International covering Premier League and EFL fixtures. Kyle also holds a degree in Football Journalism (BA Hons) from the University of Derby.
Get to know Kyle Curran betterPublished16 Nov 2024
Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah is a wanted man, and Barcelona have emerged as front runners to sign him, over La Liga rivals Real Madrid.
Jonathan Tah Wanted By Barcelona & Madrid
Real Madrid have been favourites to sign Tah in recent weeks, but it now looks like fierce rivals Barcelona are leading the race for his signature.
Eder Militao’s ACL injury has forced Madrid to search for defensive reinforcements, but their hopes of g the international have been halted.
Barcelona are eyeing up a deal for Tah next summer, where he could them on a free transfer with his contract expiring in June 2025.
Tah has been instrumental in Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen set up, and was a huge part of their Bundesliga winning side last season.
The German champs are not keen on selling him in January though, with Tah set to run his contract down after 10 years at the club.
Having played over 350 times, he has netted 15 times with 12 assists from centre-half and is known as a modern day legend at the club. He was also named in last season’s Bundesliga Team of the Season alongside five of his teammates.
Barcelona have struggled over the past few years financially, so a free transfer makes plenty of sense for one of the best defenders in European football. New manager Hansi Flick also has a top relationship with him, after coaching him as boss from 2021-2023.
They’re not the only club interested in Tah though as you’d expect. Already mentioning Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Manchester United are also keen.