FC Barcelona sporting director Deco has revealed that Barça tired to sign Jonathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, but the deal fell through and he went to Bayern Munich instead.
There were, of course, rumors last summer that Tah was in negotiations with multiple clubs before he ultimately decided to join FC Bayern on a free transfer. Well, not exactly free, the club had to pay a little over a million euros to secure his participation for the Club World Cup.
Presumably, the prospect of getting
an experienced international defender for a low price is what attracted Barcelona to the deal in the first place.
Speaking during an interview with Diario Sport, Deco admitted: A transfer that was close but fell through? We were in very advanced negotiations to sign Jonathan Tah, but the agreement collapsed at the end and he joined Bayern.”
Tah is a type of defender well suited to Hansi Flick’s system, so missing out on him was likely a blow to the Catalans and their transfer plans. Bayern, meanwhile, got a player who immediately slotted into the starting XI, and has formed a robust partnership with Dayot Upamecano in the center of the defense.
It all worked out, for one FCB at least.
