Man City, Barcelona or somewhere else? Joshua Kimmich's transfer options ranked as Bayern Munich star edges towards summer exit

Both Chelsea and Manchester United have been mentioned as potential destinations for Kimmich. However, it appears that both moves are non-starters. According toSky Sports Germany, the 29-year-old will not entertain proposals from the two crisis clubs... and can you really blame him?

Kimmich has got used to winning trophies during his time in Bavaria, an ambition he would likely have to put on the back burner if he moved to Chelsea. Ironically, he is exactly the type of operator the Blues' massively-inexperienced squad could do with, but he would have likely have to tolerate a significant amount of pain before the good times returned to Stamford Bridge.

Old Trafford seems a similarly unattractive proposition, while Kimmich also doesn't seem to fit with what the new INEOS regime are trying to do. Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently indicated the club's desire to focus on developing players, rather than spending big on established stars.

"I would rather sign the next [Kylian] Mbappe rather than spend a fortune buying success. It’s not that clever buying Mbappe. Anyone could figure that one out. More challenging is to find the next Mbappe or next [Jude] Bellingham or next Roy Keane," he said back in March.

Barcelona is one of two clubs whose interest Kimmich has publicly commented on, the other being their Clasico rivals Madrid. Speaking to AS recently ahead of the Champions League semi-finals, he said: "At the moment I'm not thinking about this. As I already said, I will speak to Bayern first. But of course Barcelona and Real Madrid are amazing clubs with an amazing history."

Indeed, Barca's illustrious past cannot be denied - it's the reality of their present that is concerning. With financial troubles bubbling away under the surface, Xavi's side have delivered a limp defence of La Liga this season and even the manager's shock, U-turn decision to stick around beyond the summer has failed to lift the deflated mood.

It's understood that the Barca boss was one of the key drivers of the club's pursuit of Kimmich last summer, though, and his newfound desire to stay could mean that interest is reignited at the end of the season.

There's little doubt that the midfielder would have a senior role in the squad if he did sign, but Barca's slim chances of lifting silverware and lack of economic might would make this move difficult for both parties.

Joining the Catalan giants' bitterest rivals might make more sense, both financially and from a footballing perspective. Luka Modric looks likely to finally call time on his legendary Madrid career at the end of the season, while Toni Kroos is also not getting any younger.

And while new heroes like Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga have risen in stature in recent years, there's still room for an arrival or two in the engine room. Kimmich and Carlo Ancelotti have worked together before, too, with the former seemingly pushing for a move away from Bavaria during that period.

However, he has since denied this had anything to do with the Italian, saying: "It wasn't anything personal. We had a really strong squad, especially in my position. There were Arturo Vidal, Xabi Alonso, Thiago, Javi Martínez... There were many exceptional players. It wasn't easy for me to play, especially in the first season. In the second season, I finally played. When you're young, like I was, you always want to play and compete."

With that cleared up, the door appears to have swung open for Madrid to make their move. However, with Kylian Mbappe poised to arrive soon, other clubs might be able to offer better terms.

Liverpool already overhauled their entire midfield last summer, bringing in Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo following the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho. But more rebuilding is expected, with Arne Slot poised to take over from Jurgen Klopp, Michael Edwards returning as chief executive and Richard Hughes joining as sporting director.

In the past, Edwards' recruitment strategy has been heavily data-based, with the club looking for value by signing unpolished gems. Kimmich certainly doesn't fall into this category, but Liverpool might still be tempted to have a close look thanks to his outstanding footballing CV.

It's difficult to say how appealing joining the Reds would be to the player, though. Many have predicted that Liverpool will struggle in the immediate aftermath of Klopp's exit and these concerns might prevent Kimmich from taking the plunge, regardless of how much would he surely enjoy playing Slot's style of football.

Pep Guardiola and Kimmich have a special bond, with the Manchester City boss plucking from him from then-second tier RB Leipzig during his time in charge of Bayern. "I know [Guardiola] and have a lot to thank him for. We won the double together and after that season I became a player for Germany," Kimmich said back in 2019.

The Germany international has also expressed a desire to rekindle their working relationship in the past, and this summer presents the perfect chance. The window of opportunity might slam shut permanently if he doesn't move, too, with Guardiola's managerial future uncertain beyond the 2024-25 season.

There's no doubt Kimmich would add a great deal to the City squad, as Guardiola likes to work with a small set of players, and so the midfielder's ability to operate across multiple positions to a top-class standard would help facilitate this. He would seem to complement the undroppable Rodri nicely too, so it would be no surprise to see the Cityzens swoop for Kimmich this summer.

Arsenal are in a tricky position heading into the summer transfer window. Thomas Partey's return to the first team in recent times has been a roaring success, with his presence at the base of midfield freeing up Declan Rice and elevating Martin Odegaard to an even more inspirational level.

However, the Ghanaian's fitness issues mean the Gunners may decide to move him on in the summer, which will leave a sizeable hole in the middle of the park. Kimmich could be the man to fill that void.

Full of energy, blessed with an excellent passing range and a devilish football IQ, he would be a perfect fit for what Mikel Arteta likes his teams to do. His ability to invert when played at full-back will also have the Gunners boss salivating.

While he would represent a slightly different flavour of signing to what sporting director Edu normally goes for, if Arsenal want to take that final, decisive step and start winning trophies regularly, Kimmich might be their perfect, missing piece.