Real Madrid and Barcelona inquire about the availability of Bayern Munich star - Reports

Real Madrid and Barcelona, along with a few Premier League sides, have contacted Bayern Munich regarding the availability of star midfielder Leon Goretzka, according to German outlet Sport 1.

Leon Goretzka was on the verge of signing a new deal with the Bavarian giants after having a meteoric rise in the past two seasons. However, due to a change in the player's agents, those talks have taken a detour. According to the aforementioned source, the German international is currently having some disagreements with the club's hierarchy over salary.

The 26-year-old midfielder now wants to wait and take his time in signing a new deal, as his new agent draws interest from big European sides including Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Leon Goretzka only has one year remaining on his Bayern Munich deal, with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2022. The German champions will have to act quickly or else they risk losing their prized asset for free next season.

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❗️News #Goretzka: Of necessity, he has a new duo of agents. He still wants to extend but disagreement on salary issues. But both sides are optimistic. However, LG has received inquiries from #realmadrid, #FCBarcelona & from 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 confirmed ✅. ⁦@SPORT1⁩ https://t.co/ZsOQUAlzvf

— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) June 23, 2021

Barcelona and Real Madrid need new midfielders to bolster their squad

Both Barcelona and Real Madrid are in dire need of new midfielders to strengthen their squad in the ongoing summer transfer window.

Barcelona are in for a huge summer. The Catalan giants are poised for a massive squad overhaul with midfielders like Miralem Pjanic and Philippe Coutinho set to be sold in order to raise funds for new arrivals. Blaugrana also need to replace the aging Sergio Busquets.

Leon Goretzka would be an ideal signing for Barcelona. Goretzka possesses great ball control and has an eye for picking the right pass to link midfield with the attack. His arrival could thus immensely help the Catalan club.

Leon Goretzka was instrumental under Hansi Flick. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

Rivals Real Madrid are in a similar situation to that of Barcelona. Los Blancos also have an aging midfield which will require replacing in the near future. Both Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are on the wrong side of their 30s. Despite their valuable contributions in the past seasons, Real Madrid will need to bring in new midfielders.

However, Leon Goretzka wants to stay at Bayern Munich as of now. But he has made it clear that the Bavarians need to make the right offer in order to keep their star midfielder at the Allianz Arena.

Contract talks with Leon Goretzka are getting more difficult than expected. A new agent was brought in and the player has inquiries from other clubs. Goretzka wants to stay but Bayern's offer has to be right. He's already in contact with Julian Nagelsmann [@SPORTBILD] pic.twitter.com/BJ9ShD8Dho

— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) June 22, 2021

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