Xabi Alonso insists on taking Jonathan Tah to 'his' Real Madrid: What will Barça do?

Jonathan Tah is still considering arriving in LaLiga next summer, but FC Barcelona would not be his only feasible destination. Despite the contacts between the Blaugrana board and the Bayer Leverkusen center-back, a new factor may separate the Hamburg native from Catalonia at the end of 2024-25.

According to the latest information, Real Madrid is trying to thwart Tah's signing for Barça, at the request of Xabi Alonso. The Spanish coach would already have everything ready to take over the 'merengue' bench after the Whites' participation in the Club World Cup, and the Leverkusen '4' would be his first reinforcement.

Alonso knows that Madrid needs to incorporate at least two 'top' center-backs, as the continuous recent injuries of David Alaba and Éder Militao generate uncertainty for the future. Furthermore, in Madrid they are also aware of how Barcelona has handled negotiations with the German international in recent months and are confident of overtaking the Catalans.

Barça, without enough 'Fair Play' to sign Jonathan Tah

Jonathan Tah in the match between Arminia Bielefeld and Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga

And it is that, although Barça reached a prior verbal agreement with Tah to sign him for five seasons, until June 2030, for the moment it does not have enough 'Fair Play' to close signings, even if, as in the case of the German defender, they occur at 'zero cost'.

The club must resolve the mess with the income derived from the sale of the VIP seats of the Sportify Camp Nou before June 30 to regularize its accounts. The 100 million derived from this operation allow it to return to rule 1:1, essential to be able to register reinforcements and manage the renewal of Lamine Yamal next July.

In any case, the idea of the board is to sign the still Bayer Leverkusen defender before the start of the pre-season, the third week of that month. However, while that happens, the 29-year-old defender has full freedom to sign with any other club.

Tah informed Leverkusen several weeks ago that he would leave at the end of 24-25, which increased the number of teams interested in signing him this summer as a free agent. Barça, however, has always led the 'race' for his incorporation.

Other teams that also want Jonathan Tah this summer

In addition to Barcelona and Real Madrid, other possible destinations for Jonathan Tah in the upcoming summer market are:

• Bayern Munich: Although Barça is the favorite, Bayern Munich has also shown interest in Tah and could accelerate its signing attempt, especially after the departure of Eric Dier, which leaves a gap in the Bavarian defense. The Bavarians have sounded out the player on several occasions and could offer him a good contract to convince him, although for the moment the center-back has not responded to the call from the Munich team.
• Premier League teams: Several English clubs have interest and could be real options, including Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Chelsea, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest. 'Spurs' and 'red devils', in particular, need to reinforce their defense and Tah would fit well into their plans, although their position in the race seems secondary compared to Barcelona and Bayern.