The writing has been on the wall for a few weeks now, but it appears that Leon Goretzka’s footballing future could take place somewhere other than Bayern Munich — even if the midfielder does not want to leave Bavaria.
According to a report from Tz journalists Mano Bonke and Philipp Kessler (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern Munich’s brass is unhappy with how the midfield tandem of Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich worked together this season. Now, the club wants Kimmich to slide into Goretzka’s No. 8 role, which puts the latter midfielder’s immediate future in danger.
Not only will Kimmich move into competition with Goretzka and Ryan Gravenberch, but RB Leipzig star Konrad Laimer’s transfer to the club is imminent, which makes the position far too crowded:
Bayern bosses are critical of the Kimmich/Goretzka midfield pivot and are considering breaking it, hence the interest in Rice to partner Kimmich. The general opinion is that the combination Kimmich/Goretzka is not homogeneous and doesn’t fit anymore.
The real key to the situation is Kimmich’s change in position, but the sacking of former sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidzic also might be playing a role in Goretzka’s cloudy future. If things do take a turn for the worse in Bavaria, Liverpool FC might be able to give the midfielder a fresh start:
Kimmich is seen more of a No. 8. And with Konrad Laimer, another No. 8 was signed – therefore it’s getting tight for Goretzka. In addition, Hasan Salihamidžić, who was considered a Goretzka supporter, is now gone. Liverpool could be a suitor.
One interesting side note to the story is that while the decision-makers at Bayern Munich are fans of Goretzka overall, there is a bit of a perception that he might be distracted with his off-the-field activism:
In general, Goretzka is highly appreciated at the club. However, some decision makers are unhappy with the player’s political involvement instead of full focus on football. Raphael Brinkert, Goretzka’s PR manager, has close ties to the SPD political party.
Whatever the case, Goretzka is in a spot where he could be facing an extremely limited role in the 2023/24 season. Kimmich rarely comes off the field and even if there was a change in managing Kimmich’s playing time, there are just too many bodies for any other player to get significant minutes.
Clearly, this is something that Goretzka, Laimer, and Gravenberch will all have to consider.