Transfer expert Matteo Moretto told Radio Marca that Goretzka offered himself to Barcelona of his own accord. He would reunite there with coach Hansi Flick, a familiar face from their hugely successful time together at Bayern Munich, where they won the Champions League in 2020 among other honours.
It is not clear from the report whether Barca have responded to Goretzka’s approach. The Spanish champions would not have to pay a fee in any case, as the midfielder’s contract with Bayern expired at the end of June. For now, Goretzka, who was knocked out of the World Cup with Germany almost exactly a month ago, is working with a private trainer at his hometown club VfL Bochum to stay fit.
Talk of a move to Barcelona is not entirely new. Reports around the turn of the year had already suggested Barca and the Germany international were sounding each other out. At the end of January, however, Goretzka denied any contact with Flick and Co.: “I read that I was supposed to have contacted Hansi Flick in Barcelona. I can deny that here and now. No, something like that is not necessary. That is not meant to sound arrogant,” he told Zeit.
Leon Goretzka to Barcelona? Midfield is not a priority for Barca
Any move between Barca and Goretzka becoming concrete now still looks unlikely, even if the Catalans are not ideally stocked in central midfield at the moment: Fermin Lopez is still working on his comeback after a metatarsal fracture, which cost him the World Cup. And Frenkie de Jong suffered medial ligament damage in his knee at the World Cup, which has ruled him out for an indefinite period.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona still do not see any urgent need to sign a new central midfielder. That reportedly remains the case even if Marc Casado leaves this summer. The academy product is said to be available for around 40 million euros, and several notable clubs are said to be interested.
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Barcelona’s priority for the rest of the summer transfer window is not central midfield but centre-forward. After the departure of Robert Lewandowski, they are still expected to sign a new striker, with Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez seen as the preferred option. The Argentine apparently also desperately wants to join Barca and, according to a recent report by the Spanish newspaper Sport, is even thinking about how he can force a move to his dream club. Atletico have no intention of selling and reportedly rejected a 100 million euro offer from Barcelona most recently.
Juventus are said to find Leon Goretzka’s demands too high
As for Goretzka, the first links after news of his Bayern departure pointed towards Italy. Inter Milan were seen as an option, then it allegedly looked like a move to AC Milan was on the cards. In recent weeks, Juventus emerged as the strongest contender to sign Goretzka, but the 31-year-old’s financial demands are apparently still too high for Juve. According to information from SPOX partner portal calciomercato, Goretzka wants a signing-on fee of ten million euros when he puts pen to paper, while he is also said to be demanding seven million euros a year in wages.
Time is starting to run short if Goretzka wants a new club before the start of the new season. There is also said to be an option in the United States, with The Athletic reporting in June that Chicago Fire were interested.