Any chance Liverpool had of securing Leon Goretzka on a Bosman free transfer may be about to end.
Schalke, Goretzka’s parent club, are about to offer the midfielder a bumper new deal, which they hope he’ll sign to put speculation to bed, the Echo report.
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6ft. 3′ Dutch centre-back trains at Liverpool with view to future transfer
22-year-old Goretzka is a regular in the German national team and has made significant improvements to his game this term. He’s best used as a box-to-box central midfielder, which makes his situation eerily similar to 23-year-old Emre Can’s – who’s currently not putting pen to paper on new Liverpool terms.
Like with Goretzka, if no deal is signed, Can can freely speak to non-domestic clubs regarding a transfer.
If we lost Can for nothing, it would be brilliant to sign Goretzka in his place, but Schalke seem confident he’ll renew.
“We go to the pain threshold,” sporting director Christian Heidel said. “We have done everything to show Leon that he is extremely important to Schalke.
“For us, there were always two options: either his contract is extended or he remains here until 2018. It was never an issue for us. We believe that it is best for him to stay here. The ball is now with Leon.”
Ideally, Can will stay at Liverpool and we’d perhaps consider Goretzka on top, but if our midfielder departs, his international team-mate would be an interesting option, especially considering he’d be free.
Still, Naby Keita is confirmed for next season anyway, so even if we do lose Can on a Bosman, a top notch replacement is already arriving.