The last few days of the winter transfer window at Bayern Munich have been dominated by the speculation around the future of Leon Goretzka. The German midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to Atletico Madrid.
The Spanish club reportedly made a bid to sign Goretzka before the deadline day. However, Bayern and Goretzka have decided to continue until the end of the season.
Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund confirmed on Friday that Goretzka will leave the club on a free transfer in the summer. The German midfielder made an emotional post on Instagram to confirm his departure. He is focused on completing the season strongly with Bayern, ruling out a transfer before the deadline day.
Atletico Madrid will most likely return for Goretzka in the summer. There will be significant interest from several other clubs across Europe due to Goretzka’s experience and quality. Napoli, AC Milan, and Fenerbahce have been linked with Goretzka during the winter transfer window.
Goretzka joined Bayern in 2018 from Schalke on a free transfer. He hit the ground running for Die Roten and formed a strong midfield partnership with Joshua Kimmich. The former Schalke midfielder won every possible trophy at Bayern, including the historic treble in 2020.
The last couple of seasons have seen Goretzka’s game time reduced at Bayern due to the emergence of Aleksandar Pavlovic. The Bavarian club tried to part ways with Goretzka in 2024, but the German midfielder decided to stay and fight for game time. He delivered impressive performances last season, helping Bayern to regain the Bundesliga title.
Goretzka would have liked to sign a new deal at Bayern, but the club believes it is the right time to part ways.
Bayern plan to sign a young midfielder to replace Goretzka
The record Bundesliga champions strengthened their midfield last summer by signing Tom Bischof from Hoffenheim. Bischof will get more game time in central midfield next season.
Apart from giving game time to Bischof, Bayern also plan to sign a young midfielder to replace Goretzka. They have been heavily linked with Club Brugge’s Nathan De Cat. Die Roten also have a concrete interest in Kenneth Eichhorn from Hertha BSC. With the departure of Goretzka, Bayern will trim the wage bill significantly, allowing them to make space for new signings.
For now, Goretzka will look to end the season strongly with Bayern. The Bavarian club is competing on all fronts, giving Goretzka an opportunity to end his time in Bavaria with silverware.