Leon Goretzka seemed to have his pick of clubs. Atletico Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, even the English champions Arsenal were all said to be interested in the central midfielder in recent months.
There was every reason for it. Although Goretzka was often little more than a spectator in the really big games in the last of his eight seasons at Bayern Munich, or only came off the bench shortly before the end, he still remained an important part of coach Vincent Kompany's plans. In the Bundesliga above all, with the title already wrapped up early, the 31-year-old regularly started. Across all competitions, he still ended up with a respectable 48 appearances, even though his departure had already been made public in January.
Former Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann even indirectly handed Goretzka a guarantee of a regular starting place for the World Cup in his much-discussed kicker interview at the start of March. Even if the former Bayern coach did not follow his words with actions in this and several other cases, and Felix Nmecha and Aleksandar Pavlovic were ultimately preferred, it underlined the standing the Bochum native held at the time.
Now, though, the picture has changed completely just under three months after the embarrassing exit of the Germany national team, which included three substitute appearances during the tournament. There can hardly be any more talk of the "privileged situation" he himself still used to describe his club search in May. Nor of concrete negotiations with a new employer. Instead, he has been dealt a bitter first: for the first time in his career, Goretzka is actually without a club.
A first in his career: why is Leon Goretzka still without a club?
Recent comments from transfer insider Gianluca Di Marzio only add to the sense that time is slowly running out for Goretzka. The transfer window in Europe's top leagues closes on 1 September. By then, those leagues will already have been up and running for some time, and clubs in European competition must finalise their squads shortly after the deadline.
"At the moment there is no interest in Leon Goretzka," the renowned journalist from Italy told the portal Wettfreunde. A move to Serie A, long seen as a likely destination for the 73-cap international, does not appear to be taking shape either, while the now 40-year-old Luka Modric even extended his contract in Milan once again. On the other hand, it is "really strange that he is without a contract, because he is an incredible player".
The sticking point is reportedly Goretzka's wage demands. Newspapers reported, among other things, a net annual salary of seven million euros and a lavish signing fee of ten million euros. That would in turn suggest he is hardly willing to compromise. In Munich, Goretzka is said to have earned 13 million euros gross. Far too much, critics often grumbled about the contract extensions for Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich or Serge Gnabry that were signed back then after the sextuple and caused lasting damage to Bayern's wage structure.
Elsewhere too, top clubs apparently see that kind of salary for Goretzka, despite all his undeniable qualities, as completely unrealistic. Quite simply, no club has yet been willing to meet his demands.
Chelsea, however, show that players over 30 still have a market in England. As part of his spending spree, coach Xabi Alonso made a completely surprising move by signing not one but two "old hands" in striker Danny Welbeck (35) and Jordan Henderson (36), who like Goretzka plays in central midfield. Even so, the options are becoming ever scarcer as time goes on. It increasingly looks as though Goretzka may need serious injuries elsewhere to land at a club with title ambitions and European football.
Getty ImagesHardly any options left: is Leon Goretzka now heading to Turkey?
Turkey could offer a way out, and Di Marzio mentioned it too. "Because a lot of money is paid there for free agents. So it would not surprise me if Goretzka moves to the Turkish league," he said.
This summer, the trend of moving to the Süper Lig even at the height of a player's career, or long before its twilight, has gathered pace again. The prominent examples include Dusan Vlahovic (26, Besiktas Istanbul), Mason Greenwood (24), Nathan Ake (31, both Fenerbahce Istanbul) or Mohamed Salah (34, Trabzonspor). The spending power on the Bosporus seems greater than ever, and industry leaders Galatasaray Istanbul, with Goretzka's long-time team-mate Leroy Sane in their squad, have not made a move at all so far.
By contrast, a move to the USA or Saudi Arabia looks highly unlikely. He already ruled out the latter destination in 2023. "If some players are drawn there in the autumn of their careers, that is their prerogative," he told Sport1 at the time, making it clear: "But for me personally, I can absolutely rule that out. I would clearly prefer Bochum or Schalke."
For now, though, a return to his beloved Ruhr area also seems unlikely. At VfL, however, there is already hope of a reunion once Goretzka himself reaches the late autumn of his career in a few years' time. "Leon has made many people in Bochum proud. He will now play once more at the highest level before hopefully coming back. That is our great wish - and hopefully his too," sporting managing director Ilja Kaenzig said in June in Sport Bild.
So the big question right now is where Goretzka will show his undoubtedly still very real quality at that "level" until then. In the worst-case scenario, his personal first could even become a permanent state of affairs.
Leon Goretzka: performance data at Bayern Munich and in the Germany team
Statistic | Matches | Goals | Assists |
Bayern Munich | 312 | 51 | 53 |
Germany | 73 | 15 | 12 |