Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich has revealed he would be happy to stay at the club for the foreseeable future in a blow to the clubs rumoured to be monitoring him.
Kimmich played 90 minutes in Bayern's 6-1 thrashing of Holstein Kiel at the weekend, and is expected to start in their Champions League opener against Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old has been a mainstay in the Bayern side for almost decade after joining in 2015, proving his worth as an ultra-versatile player.
Kimmich has been utilised in central defence, full-back, wing-back, central midfield and out wide during his lengthy spell at the club, and he remains a regular for club and country.
Despite his regular playing time at the Allianz Arena though, there has often been speculation over the past few windows that Kimmich could leave the club, with Manchester City and Barcelona two clubs in particular linked.
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Kimmich keen to stay at Bayern for the next 10 years?
However, despite the speculation, Kimmich appears to be happy in the familiar surroundings of Bavaria.
After the win over Kiel, Kimmich spoke to Sky Germany after sporting director Max Eberl commented that he hopes the player will become one of the faces of the club going forward.
"In general, it's always nice to hear when the club believes in you and has your back. I'm enjoying that at the moment. At the moment, it's very, very important for us to win games. That's the most important thing for us. That helps each individual in their development, to be a face or not a face." Kimmich said.
Working for Sky Germany, Bayern and German legend Lothar Matthaus replied: "For me, that was a clear commitment to Joshua Kimmich. He should be one of the faces for the next 10 years, Max (Eberl) said."
To which Kimmich responded jovially: "That would be great, wouldn't it?"
Making the comment with something of a smirk can be interpreted in many ways, but the fact Kimmich has remained a Bayern player for so long despite all of the rumoured interest suggests it is a genuine response.
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Can Kimmich take over from the old guard?
Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller have been pinned as the faces of Bayern for almost a decade, but both are now coming to the end of their careers, with fresh figureheads needed to replace them in the eyes of the hierarchy.
Eberl was initially making the point when referencing how he hopes to keep Jamal Musiala at the club with his contract beginning to run down.
The sporting director wants to prove to Musiala how ambitious the club is to match the player's own objectives, while making him one of the faces of the club alongside players such as Kimmich.
With almost 400 appearances for Bayern under his belt, Kimmich is as important as ever, having played every minute under Vincent Kompany so far this season.
Kimmich's value is also appreciated at international level too, as former Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann also picked him for both of Germany's UEFA Nations League matches last week.
Andrew Delaney
