Premier League-linked midfielder 'rejects contract offer from Barcelona'

The Catalan giants are believed to be in the market for a new midfielder this summer, with Oriol Romeu set to depart at the end of the season.

The 32-year-old arrived at Camp Nou from Girona last summer, but he was unable to establish himself as a first-team regular under former coach Xavi in 2023-24 and was reduced to just 11 La Liga starts.

There is also uncertainty over the future of long-serving midfielder Sergi Roberto, who is due to see his contract at the club expire at the end of next month.

Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Gavi, Ilkay Gundogan and Fermin Lopez are among Barca's other midfield options, although the former three have struggled with injuries this term, highlighting the club's need to bolster their squad.

Kimmich rejects Barcelona offer

Recent reports have linked Barcelona with a summer swoop for Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich, who has also attracted interest from the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Barcelona confirmed the appointment of Hansi Flick as their new head coach on Wednesday following the dismissal of Xavi, and the German has previously worked with Kimmich at club and international level having previously managed both Bayern and Germany.

However, Barca appear to have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Kimmich, as Sport claims that the midfielder has rejected a contract offer from the Catalan giants as they failed to meet his expectations.

The report adds that the 29-year-old is currently earning around £17m per season at Bayern, a figure Barcelona cannot afford to match amid their well-documented financial concerns.

Barca's financial predicament an issue yet to be resolved

Barcelona are said to be paying striker Robert Lewandowski around £25m for next season and this, as well as a number of other big-money contracts at the club, is limiting the amount they can spend on reinforcing the squad.

The Catalan club must find a way to balance their books and reach an agreement with La Liga to comply with the new 1:1 spending cap rule that only allows them to spend €1 for every €1 they recoup this summer.

It remains to be seen whether Barca will look to return with an improved offer for Kimmich, who will soon be entering the final year of his contract at Bayern.

Kimmich has spent almost a decade at Bayern and has made a total of 390 appearances in all competitions, winning 20 trophies, including eight Bundesliga titles.