Bayern Munich midfielder could be Granit Xhaka's replacement at Borussia Mönchengladbach

Sebastian Rode is still being linked with a move to Borussia Mönchengladbach following the club's €45 million sale of Granit Xhaka to perennial English Premier League underachievers Arsenal. The agreed upon fee for Rode would be €8 million; however, there is one thing holding up the transfer.

Despite the fact that his playing time would almost certainly drop to zero next season with the signing of Renato Sanches and Joshua Kimmich's likely move back into midfield, Rode wants to make sure that Gladbach are playing in next season's UEFA Champions League, according to this report from Bild. While that does seem like a strange demand from a player in his position, perhaps this is simply a negotiation tactic on Rode's behalf.

Following the signing of Jannik Vestergaard from Werder Bremen, Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl will certainly be pushing hard to get Rode signed and into camp ahead of their Champions League qualifying playoff in the summer. Bayern will, of course, be willing to part with the oft-used midfielder.