West Ham United’s “dream target” for the summer transfer window is Bayern Munich star Leon Goretzka, according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg.
Who is Leon Goretzka?
Goretzka is primarily a central midfielder who has played his football at the Allianz Arena since 2018 having moved there on a free transfer from FC Schalke, and during his five years at the club, he’s become a regular first team feature, clocking up 179 appearances to date, which has alerted clubs in the Premier League.
The Germany international still has another three years to run on his contract with Thomas Tuchel’s side, but there’s a strong possibility that he’ll be on the move before the end of the ongoing window after being put up for sale by his manager. Plettenberg previously said:
“Leon Goretzka is definitely a candidate whose situation is being watched very closely by the English, because they didn’t miss the fact that Goretzka was allowed to leave Bayern. Bayern is currently considering a fee of €40m [£34m] to €50m [£43m]. Tuchel would definitely let him go because Tuchel wants to create space in the squad.”
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Sky Sports in his homeland soon after reported that the Irons were preparing an offer for the 28-year-old, and whilst a significant development of that sort is yet to come to fruition, David Moyes doesn’t seem to have forgotten about the talisman in the Bundesliga.
Are West Ham signing Leon Goretzka?
Taking to Twitter, Plettenberg revealed that West Ham have held a strong, long-standing interest in Goretzka, but admitted that at this stage, any move being completed could be more of a pipe dream. He wrote:
“Man Utd never lost their focus on Leon #Goretzka! Understand the 28 y/o is still on the list of the club. #MUFC. Goretzka wanted to stay 100% – but the last ten days have clearly shown that he won’t be a starter under Tuchel for now. Tuchel is planning with Kimmich/Laimer and wants a new holding six on top. Difficult situation. ManUtd & Goretzka, situation to watch! Still a dream target for West Ham.”
West Ham have been heavily linked with a move for Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse this summer, but having seen a £20m, followed by an increased £30m offer rejected, they may need to start looking for central midfield alternatives. Having been dubbed “top-class” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Goretzka could be the perfect candidate.
The Bochum native is naturally stronger in the offensive aspect of his game following his 12 goal contributions (six goals and the same number of assists) across all competitions last season, but he’s also capable of putting in a shift defensively having averaged 1.7 aerial wins and 1.6 tackles per league game, via WhoScored.
Goretzka, who pockets £296k-per-week, furthermore knows what it takes to compete and be successful at the highest level having secured 14 pieces of silverware for club and country throughout his career, so should he put pen to paper, he would be able to instil a much-needed winning mentality into the squad at the London Stadium.