- Schalke sporting director says Leon Goretzka will soon decide future
- German midfielder is Liverpool transfer target
- 22-year-old eyed as potential Emre Can replacement
- SEE MORE: Liverpool given green light to sign familiar midfield enforcer in January
Liverpool are reportedly close to receiving an indication of their chances of luring Leon Goretzka to Merseyside.
The Schalke midfielder has been identified as a key target for the Reds amid speculation linking fellow countryman Emre Can to an Anfield exit.
Can is in the final year of his current contract and has been tipped to depart for free next summer, with talks over a new deal having seemingly broken down.
Goretzka is similarly in a position where he is in the process of deciding his future, with both Liverpool and Arsenal supposedly ready to pounce if the German becomes available.
Discussing the player’s situation, Schalke’s sporting director Christian Heidel told SportBild: “I think if Schalke had no chance to keep him I would be the first to know that. But I haven’t received that kind of information until now.”
“Leon will make a decision soon without us building any pressure on him.”
Goretzka would be an ideal replacement for Can, with his box-to-box qualities making him an suitable fit to Jurgen Klopp’s setup and approach.
He would similarly mark an interesting partner for Naby Keita, with the RB Leipzig midfielder set to officially join Liverpool in July 2018.
Recent reports have gone as far to suggest a deal may already be in place to bring the Germany international to the club.
As Heidel points out, Goretzka’s decision is drawing ever closer.