Man Utd Plot ’Very Big’ Midfield Transfers Amid Links to Champions League Winner

United are reportedly giving serious consideration to signing two marquee midfielders this summer.

Leon Goretzka is set to become a free agent in the summer. | Jürgen Fromme-firo sportphoto/Getty Images

Manchester United are reportedly planning to make a number of “very big” midfield signings this summer which could include the acquisition of soon-to-be free agent Leon Goretzka.

It has been confirmed by Bayern Munich that their outspoken midfielder will leave the club once his contract expires in June. Fabrizio Romano credited United with interest in the 30-year-old Champions League winner. No “advanced” talks are thought to have taken place just yet, and the Red Devils will not be alone in their approach for Goretzka. In the same breath, Goretzka will not be United’s only midfield target.

Romano excitedly insisted that the Premier League giants will “go very big” for midfield reinforcements over the summer, with the prospect for two marquee arrivals very much within the realm of possibility. Goretzka would certainly form an interesting starting point.

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Why Man Utd Would Want to Sign Leon Goretzka

Leon Goretzka is leaving Bayern Munich. | Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images

Goretzka has enjoyed and endured the full gamut of emotions during his eight seasons at Bayern Munich. Arriving from Schalke in 2018 as a wispy all-rounder, the Germany international bulked up during the hiatus enforced by the COVID-19 pandemic. By the time he returned with a hulking new physique, he was a player transformed.

The newly burly 6'2" midfield dynamo described himself as “more self-confident and more robust.” It showed. “Going into full-blooded challenges feeling like that gives me a greater sense of security,” he noted.

Hansi Flick couldn’t look beyond his meaty wrecking ball as Bayern romped to the 2019–20 Bundesliga title and swept all aside them in a triumphant Champions League campaign.

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Leon Goretzka - Bayern Munich Career

Statistic	Value
Joined	July 1, 2018
Games	292
Goals	47
Assists	48
Titles	x6 Bundesliga, x1 Champions League, x2 DFB Pokal, x1 Club World Cup, x1 UEFA Super Cup

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Injuries would hamper Goretzka over the next two seasons before Thomas Tuchel arrived in 2023 and immediately tried to ship him out that summer. Bayern’s board held firm but Goretzka’s playing opportunities dried up, which cost him his place at the 2024 European Championships held on German soil.

But this simply provided the platform for Goretzka to demonstrate a layer of steely resilience which will be just as attractive to interested suitors as his versatility and eye for goal. Vincent Kompany initially shared Tuchel’s lack of faith in the midfielder before he was forced to welcome him back into the fold by Goretzka’s sheer force of will.

“Leon has always worked hard, he’s always been hungry in training,” the Belgian boss gushed last year, holding Goretzka up as an inspiration for the entire squad. “It’s a good thing for Leon and the other lads. Leon showed the right reaction: with his feet, not with words.”

United, their recent upsurge under Carrick not withstanding, aren’t blessed with a dressing room riddled with such defiant personalities.

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Man Utd’s ‘Big’ Midfield Targets

Elliot Anderson could be one of the year’s biggest transfers. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

United’s obvious need in central midfield is a replacement for the outgoing Casemiro. In an ideal world that would have been Manuel Ugarte, the defensive totem who shone so brightly under Ruben Amorim at Sporting CP and was signed for a fee which could rise to as much as £50.7 million ($69.8 million). Given the distinct lack of faith Ugarte has managed to inspire in four different United coaches thus far, it appears he is not the solution.

Goretzka is more inherently front-footed than Casemiro, which suggests that his potential acquisition would be to complement one of the three standout targets United have been circling for months; Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Brighton & Hove Albion holder Carlos Baleba.

Anderson is arguably the most complete of the trio, although it’s difficult to say whether his utter domination of everything on and off the ball for Forest is a consequence of his teammates’ inadequacies or his own supreme talent. Undoubtedly it will be a combination but his prodigious output won’t come cheap—in fact, all three will likely command fees which creep towards nine digits.

Should United want a more cost-effective option, perhaps to hedge their bets in the event that the big, shiny new recruit doesn’t quite live up to their billing, Stuttgart’s Chema Andrés would be an intriguing alternative. The upright 20-year-old is being eased into his first season of senior football after leaving Real Madrid’s academy but has demonstrated superb defensive instincts when called upon, putting out fires all over the pitch before the flame can grow beyond a flicker.

The only issue standing in United’s way is the presence of a buyback clause in his contract which Real Madrid can reportedly trigger in the summer.

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