Jonathan Tah hints at Barcelona offer ahead of Bayer Leverkusen exit

Jonathan Tah has confirmed he will leave Bayer Leverkusen when his contract expires next summer, while he suggested Barcelona and Bayern Munich have been in touch with his camp.

The 28-year-old played a huge role in Leverkusen's run to their first-ever Bundesliga title last season, but he is ready to leave the club in search of a fresh challenge in 2025.

Tah was heavily linked with moves to Barcelona and Bayern during the summer transfer window, but neither met Leverkusen's demands and he ended up staying with the German champions.

While away on international duty, he was asked whether there was a possibility of him signing a new contract at his current club.

"No, my decision is as clear as before. I will not renew my contract for professional reasons," Tah told SZ.

"I still have a contract until 2025 and until then I will give everything for Leverkusen. A football career is short and that is why I have always had the idea of ​​making the most of it. I simply want to exploit the potential that exists in my career. And in the summer I had the feeling that now is the time to look at something new, right now, after such a successful season.

"I have been at Leverkusen for nine years, I have experienced all the ups and downs here and the highlight was the fantastic last season in which we won almost everything. It couldn’t have been better. And so I thought: if I renew my contract at Leverkusen now, at 28, that means I will play here until I am 30 or 40 years old."

When asked if he would be playing for Bayern next season, Tah replied: "That's a good question. We'll see. I'm not thinking about it yet. I have a season ahead of me with Bayer Leverkusen.

"There were other offers [this summer], not just from Bayern.

"I like playing at Leverkusen, but I would have liked everything to be as rational as possible and not have had so many emotions involved."

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