Bayern Munich star Leon Goretzka has been told to consider a move to Tottenham Hotspur amid Manchester United keeping tabs on his situation.
Throughout most of his time at Bayern, Goretzka has generally been a mainstay in central midfield. However, the German had a frustrating start to the season as he was largely left on the bench by new manager Vincent Kompany.
Things have improved for Goretzka of late, as he has completed a full 90 minutes in Bayern’s recent wins over Augsburg in the Bundesliga and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
But the player is still considering his options as he knows he faces tough competition for a starting spot from the likes of Joshua Kimmich, Konrad Laimer, Joao Palhinha and Aleksandar Pavlovic, when the latter pair are fit.
Goretzka could put himself in a good position to secure a transfer in summer 2025 by refusing to sign a new contract, with his current deal due to expire in June 2026.
Germany icon Lothar Matthaus has now mentioned Tottenham and Man Utd as being potential suitors for Goretzka.
In an interview with Bild, Matthaus was asked to name the perfect club for the 29-year-old. “Inter Milan,” he replied.
“The Italian league would be a good fit. Consistency is required there, toughness, physical play. I don’t necessarily see him at a top 5 club in Europe, but he can help all the other clubs.
“Inter, Man Utd, Tottenham, Atletico Madrid, he would fit in very well there.”
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It remains to be seen whether Spurs will take Matthaus’ advice on board and begin negotiations for Goretzka. But such a move would alert United.
Earlier this month, respected German reporter Florian Plettenberg revealed United are ‘closely monitoring’ Goretzka’s situation at Bayern as they seek further midfield additions.
Some of Bayern’s domestic rivals could get involved in the transfer hunt, too.
On November 15, Union Berlin sporting director Horst Heldt – who knows Goretzka from their time together at Schalke – was quizzed about a possible swoop. He said: “It is known that his current situation isn’t easy. He’ll obviously think about his future.
“Any club can imagine having Leon Goretzka. We can also imagine that very, very well.”
Goretzka has registered 41 goals and 47 assists in 232 matches for Bayern to date. He has helped the Bavarians win lots of silverware including one Champions League, five Bundesliga titles and two German Cups.
This term, Goretzka has notched one goal and one assist in 11 appearances across all competitions.
Goretzka’s exact price tag has yet to emerge, though previous reports have given him a transfer value of around €20million (£16.7m / $21m).
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Meanwhile, reports in the Italian press claim Spurs hold strong interest in Inter’s Davide Frattesi.
The midfielder is fed up with being rotated at Inter and has asked his agent to let him know of any exit possibilities.
It has been suggested that Spurs could launch a January bid worth €35m (£29.3m / $36.9m) to bring Frattesi to the Premier League.
There has also been speculation that Spurs will try to land a new goalkeeper in January following news of Guglielmo Vicario’s injury.
talkSPORT claim Burnley’s James Trafford and Anthony Patterson of Sunderland have been shortlisted by Spurs.
Ange Postecoglou insists he will rely on backup Fraser Forster, but Spurs will soon need to find a replacement for the 36-year-old.