The Germany Under-21 international says he looks up to the World Cup winner but is nonetheless determined to secure regular game time in Bavaria
Joshua Kimmich has warned his role model, Bastian Schweinsteiger, that he will move to Bayern Munich this summer to challenge for the veteran’s place in Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up.
It was revealed in January that the RB Leipzig starlet would be joining the Bundesliga champions for a reported €8 million, with the Germany Under-21 international having agreed a five-year contract with the Bavarians.
Kimmich freely admits that he can scarcely believe his luck that Guardiola wanted him at Bayern but he insists that he is not going to the Allianz Arena just to sit on the bench.
“Bayern could buy any No.6 in the world, so that they want me is a great honour,” the 20-year-old told Sonntag in Prag.
“Mr. Guardiola has already told me what he likes about me.
“Bayern is a new world for me; a new challenge.
“Obviously Schweinsteiger is a great role model for me. But from next season we are team-mates and, even in some ways, competitors.”
However, Schweinsteiger, 30, only has a year to run on his contract with Bayern and has recently been linked with a move to Manchester United.