It seems Tottenham Hotspur have little time in hand in landing their long-term Bundesliga target Leon Goretzka as Serie A defending champions Juventus and North-London arch rival, Arsenal, reportedly close in landing the young Schalke sensation.
The 22-year-old central midfielder has been prolific so far scoring seven goals and assisting thrice in all competition for his club, garnering interest from a host of clubs across Europe. And given the rave reviews that he has earned this season, Goretzka will definitely have his pick of clubs when he decides to move. His contract ends in the summer of 2018 and with so many luring offers at hand, a contract extension is highly unlikely.
Tottenham had the best week of this season of late when Chelsea lost to Manchester United, leaving Spurs just four points down the table. With six games to go, Mauricio Pochettino’s men can now have a sniff at the title after weeks of consistent displays. The restructuring that had started back in 2015 as Pochettino came to helm, has started to reap fruits.
The biggest criticism against Spurs have always been their lack of depth in the squad with the Lilywhites always having a grand first-team at their disposal. However, the Argentine manager has proved that the team is now ready to challenge the top four with the likes of Heung Min-Son stepping up in the absence of their superstar Harry Kane.
With the likes of Victor Wanyama, Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele bossing the midfield for Spurs at the moment, getting a shot at the first-team would be an uphill task for Goretzka for sure. The young midfielder will need time to adapt to the pace and strength of the top-flight English football and given his talent, he could get into the groove fast.
At just 22, Goretzka has made 86 top-flight appearances in Germany already. His impressive form in front of the goal has also led him to get a call-up for the national team back in 2014. While Arsenal and Spurs are both hot on his heels, German league leaders Bayern Munich are also impressed by him and wants to keep him in the country and reports in Italy claiming that Juventus are willing to try their luck.
An academy product of the second tier of VfL Bochum before Schalke bought him in 2013. He has since been one of their main players and Schalke won’t be willing to part with their most prized asset that easily. Reportedly, they are asking a price in the region of £25m, which won’t be much of a problem for the North-London side.
