Latest rumours from German tabloid, SportBILD claim Leon Goretzka isn’t interested in moving to the Premier League anymore, with the German midfielder either looking to move to Barcelona or Bayern Munich next summer. There were even whispers about Schalke potentially offering him a bumper contract.
However, after a resounding 3-0 defeat to Bayern, it became evident that Goretzka deserves better than Schalke. Almost every other Schalke player terribly underperformed, everyone but their midfield general in Leon Goretzka. He seemed to be the only one who looked up to the task against Bayern.
If we are to believe reports from Bild, Bayern Munich and Barcelona will be boosted by the fact that Goretzka is not interested in the Premier League. Bayern, in particular, looks to be the most probable destination for Schalke’s midfield sensation. In fact, there were reports about him already agreeing to join the German champions in the summer.
However, Barcelona could also make a strong claim for the 22-year-midfielder. The Blaugrana has reportedly catapulted their interest in the German in recent weeks. Though the Spanish giants already have a plethora of midfielders on their roster at the moment, few of their midfielders aren’t getting any younger and it’s time they look to replace them with apt alternatives.
Andres Iniesta has been a long servant of the Blue and Maroons but at 33, his time at the Catalan club is nearing its end. Sergio Busquets has also shown signs of deterioration at times. While Leon Goretzka may not fit the playing style for either of those two midfielders, he can be deemed as some kind of missing link between Iniesta and Busquets.
Like Busquets, he can admirably guard the defence at any given situations, largely thanks to his tall, intimidating figure. He is a very competent midfielder, who has the right kind of mentality to go with him. He isn’t afraid to go into tackles nor headed duels while his ability to read the game is very good too.
But unlike Busquets, Goretzka is not someone who only likes to settle himself into the holding midfield role. He always likes to move forward with marching runs into the final third. His passing is crisp and he can also outmanoeuvre the opposition with quick link-up play. The German International is also a menace from long distance shooting.
At 22, Leon Goretzka bags a lot of promise and he certainly has the potential to succeed at the top level. In fact, he’s expected to be included in the Germany squad for next year’s FIFA World Cup, which will only increase his popularity in Europe, at the very least.
Barcelona should really make some significant strides in order to lure the midfielder to the Camp Nou, fending off interest from FC Bayern in the process. Real Madrid found a wealth of success signing Toni Kroos for a relatively low transfer fee, and you wouldn’t put it past Goretzka of achieving the same feat, this time with FC Barcelona.
