Bayer Leverkusen star confirms departure - will he join Man United or has Barcelona come calling?

Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah has confirmed he will leave the club in July, when his contract comes to an end. The 29-year-old German international, who has 35 caps for his country, is widely regarded as one of the strongest defenders in European football.

Under manager Xabi Alonso, Tah helped Leverkusen win an unprecedented Bundesliga title last season, where the team didn’t lose a single game. Speaking after last weekend’s 1-1 draw against St. Pauli, Tah confirmed that his time with the club will soon come to an end.

He said: “I don't have a timeframe, but the club knows it. As I have always done, I've communicated everything very openly. Everything was said from the beginning.

“There was a point when I made the decision not to extend my contract and not to stay here and that's how it's going now.”

Following the January transfer window - and amid a difficult season for Manchester United - manager Ruben Amorim set his sights on signing Tah when his contract expires. Football365 even reported that the German already had “one foot” in the door at Old Trafford, after the club sniffed around the centre-back last summer too.

However, that may no longer be the case, with another club fully prepared to hijack Amorim’s plans. Despite being in a state of financial turmoil, the prospect of signing a prominent international on a free is an attractive proposition for Spanish giants Barcelona.

With the guarantee of Champions League football, and the likelihood of domestic silverware, the allure of Barcelona may be too much for Tah to resist when his Leverkusen contract expires.