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Leon Goretzka assumes he’ll be needed at Bayern Munich next season

It hasn’t been Goretzka’s best season this campaign, but he still feels a part of the club’s future.

FC Bayern München v RB Leipzig - Bundesliga Photo by Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

This has not been Leon Goretzka’s best season at Bayern Munich, but he won’t need external reminding of that sentiment with the high standards he sets for himself both on and off the pitch. By in large, it’s collectively not been a great season for Bayern by any stretch of the imagination, but on an individual basis, there are a handful of players performing below their potential for most of the season, Goretzka included.

So far this season, Goretzka has tallied six goals and six assists from a total of 39 appearances across all competitions, but his campaign has once again been intermittently disrupted by injury problems, more so during the beginning phases of the season. That’s been a recurring theme of his tenure at Bayern ever since joining from Schalke, but his numbers this season are technically better than last season (three goals, three assists from 27 appearances).

Even Dietmar Hamann had recently expressed his disappointment with Goretzka this season, saying that he was “completely lost” this season. Despite this sentiment perhaps being shared by pundits and Bayern fans alike, Goretzka is still expecting to be a part of the club. Per kicker’s Georg Holzer, talks over his future at Bayern have not yet taken place, but he has an expectation that he will be needed next season and onward (via @iMiaSanMia).

Hertha BSC - Bayern Munich Photo by Soeren Stache/picture alliance via Getty Images

Sport1’s Kerry Hau added a little more context as to what could potentially push Goretzka to seek a new place of employment:

The only possibility that something will change: Tuchel makes it clear to Goretzka that with a view to the future he is planning without him, that he only sees him as a supplementary player at most.

However, there has not yet been a conversation with the new coach about his perspective. Likewise, those responsible have not yet sent any signals in this direction, even if they view Goretzka’s achievements critically.

Goretzka therefore continues to plan his future in Munich, where he still has a contract that runs until 2026. He has no contact with other clubs - and certainly no interest in running away from the turbulent situation on Säbener Straße, which is now worrying for him as well as for many other players.

His current contract at Bayern runs through June 2026 and his market value per Transfermarkt right now is €65 million, which is €5 million less than his highest ever market value he’s obtained, occurring during the winter of 2021, just months after his most recent contract extension. He’s not currently an option for sale this summer, but that could certainly change, just as the Lucas Hernandez narrative has seemingly changed overnight with reports suggesting he’s now entertaining an offer from Paris Saint-Germain.

Between Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel, there have been different tactical looks as far as starting lineups and mid-match adjustments are concerned, but Goretzka has not quite been able to nail down a consistent role alongside Joshua Kimmich. Both Kimmich and Goretzka were players considered to be cornerstones of Bayern moving forward, as they both signed contract extensions around the same time in 2021. He’ll also have rights to feel threatened by the summer arrival of Konrad Laimer from RB Leipzig and Tuchel’s desire to bring in a No. 6, defensive midfielder.

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