Much like Bayern Munich as a whole, it was not a great season for Leon Goretzka individually.
The midfielder struggled to ring together positive runs of performances and seemed to be in and out of favor with both Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel. Granted, he did miss a small handful of matches towards the beginning of the season while he recovered from a knee operation. Still, it wasn’t a season to remember for Goretzka, who the club had offered a contract extension too alongside Joshua Kimmich back in the fall of 2021 under the impression that the two would be cornerstones of the club’s midfield and leadership moving forward.
With the expected arrival of Konrad Laimer from RB Leipzig and potential transfer of Declan Rice from West Ham, Goretzka’s standing in Bayern’s midfield under Tuchel is in question. Tuchel had even started to give Ryan Gravenberch more minutes towards the end of the season at Goretzka’s expense, and the Dutchman had looked all but certain to be on his way out of Bayern this summer, but even that’s unclear at this point.
Per information from Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg, Goretzka does not want to leave Bayern this summer and wants to stay to fight for his place in the midfield. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who recently made a return to Bayern’s supervisory board, is a big fan of Goretzka’s and appreciates him. While the might not have anything to do with Goretzka’s thinking in wanting to stay and fight for his spot, it’s certainly something that can work in his favor.
Plettenberg also reports that Manchester United is monitoring Goretzka’s situation in the event that he has a change of heart and would be open to leaving Bayern. They’re well aware that he might be threatened by the arrivals of both Laimer and/or Rice. Still, no concrete talks have taken place between United and the player or his representatives.