Jonathan Tah signs for Bayern and leaves FC Barcelona without options

Published:23/05/2025 - 22:45h

Updated:23/05/2025 - 23:38h

Jonathan Tah, target of Barça, signs with Bayern Munich as a free agent after ending his contract with Leverkusen. The German center-back will continue in the Bundesliga.

Jonathan Tah had important suitors in Europe, but his decision has been clear: stay at home. The German center-back, closely followed by FC Barcelona and also linked to Real Madrid, will sign with Bayern after finishing his contract with Bayer Leverkusen.

Bayern beats Barça to the punch and takes Tah for free

Fabrizio Romano announced it and other media such as Mundo Deportivo confirmed it: Jonathan Tah will reinforce Bayern Munich's defense. The center-back, 29 years old, ends his contract with Leverkusen this season and will arrive as a free agent, without the Bavarian club having to pay any transfer fee.

The operation includes a signing bonus and a contract whose number of years has not yet been made public. Bayern had already tested his signing in the past and now concretizes a strategic incorporation, without opening the wallet but ensuring defensive hierarchy.

Tah, a name that was heard in the Camp Nou offices

At FC Barcelona his name had been on the agenda insistently. Hansi Flick, his new coach and former German national team coach, knows him well and valued him as a possible reinforcement. But the constraints of financial fair play again limited the Azulgrana's movements.

Even Real Madrid, since the arrival of Xabi Alonso to the bench —if confirmed—, was related to the center-back, although without formal steps. In the end, Bayern was faster, clearer and, above all, more solvent.

A weighty maneuver in the summer market

Tah's arrival at Bayern not only reinforces the Munich defense, but also confirms a trend: big clubs are looking for market opportunities without millionaire disbursements. Despite the zero cost, the player is expected to receive a high salary, according to his career and his role as a defensive pillar.

In addition, Leverkusen hopes that Bayern will communicate to negotiate the fee corresponding to Tah's participation in the next FIFA Club World Cup, where both teams will coincide.

Permanence in the Bundesliga with European ambitions

Jonathan Tah says goodbye to Leverkusen, where he has been a key player under the command of Xabi Alonso, but he does not leave Germany. He stays to compete at the highest level with Bayern, a club that seeks to regain hegemony both in the Bundesliga and in Europe.

Meanwhile, Barça has been focusing all its efforts throughout the season on shielding its constellation of young stars and, now, it is time to secure the brightest of them all: Lamine Yamal.