Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich did not shut down the possibility of a transfer to Barcelona when his contract expires next summer.
Kimmich endured a testing campaign under Thomas Tuchel last season, shackled to an unpopular right-back role for many of his 43 appearances across all competitions. For the first time since the Germany international joined the club in 2015, Bayern not only failed to win the Bundesliga, but didn't lift any piece of silverware.
Vincent Kompany took the helm of the Bavarian giants over the summer and has restored Kimmich to central midfield. However, the 29-year-old didn't distance himself from a potential move to Barcelona next year.
"In football you can never rule anything out," Kimmich told the Spanish publication Marca before Bayern's Champions League trip to Barcelona on Wednesday night. "To answer directly, I'm not thinking about that right now...but you can't rule anything out in football.
When drawn on his precarious contractual status at Bayern, Kimmich warned: "Everyone knows that, what I discuss with the club is something internal and I don't share it with anyone."
Barcelona were linked with Kimmich earlier this season as a potential replacement for Frenkie de Jong, who has been plagued by injury in recent months.
While he would not be drawn on committing his future to any club, the German did laud the legacy of the Catalan giants. "Playing against Barca is always something very special," Kimmich told Marca. "I know that people have talked about me a few times, but it doesn't make it any more special for that. It's an important club with a very successful tradition.
"Barca had a great impact on me, and so did the Spanish national team. They won three major tournaments. Xavi Hernandez was my idol when I was little, I loved watching his games and when Pep [Guardiola] was the coach. It was a small revolution to see how they dominated their rivals.
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