Barcelona and Bayern in tug-of-war for Jonathan Tah as transfer deadline looms

Barcelona and Bayern Munich are reportedly in a last-minute battle to sign Bayer Leverkusen's Jonathan Tah before the summer transfer window closes.

The German defender, who has made it clear he won’t renew his contract, is now a hot target for two of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Barcelona’s interest in Tah comes as the Catalan club faces defensive issues with injuries to key players Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen.

The club is reportedly ready to offer around €20 million for the 28-year-old defender to strengthen their backline before the new season kicks off.

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Meanwhile, Bayern Munich are also in the race after losing Matthijs de Ligt to Manchester United.

Despite the strong interest from both clubs, Bayer Leverkusen’s director, Simon Rolfes, has downplayed the chances of a deal happening before the window closes.

“I’m expecting Jonathan Tah to stay,” Rolfes told Sky Germany. “I had no call with Bayern or Barca recently. There are no news at all regarding a deal, so I expect him to stay.”

With just over 36 hours left in the transfer window, a move this summer seems unlikely, but a winter transfer could still be on the horizon for Tah as he looks for a new challenge away from Bayer Leverkusen.