Manchester United have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Confederations Cup-winning central midfielder Leon Goretzka, as Barcelona have withdrawn their interest in him.
According to ESPN, United are one of many clubs looking to sign the promising young Schalke midfielder, who has scored four times in ten appearances for Germany at just 22 years old.
Goretzka is a key member of the Schalke first team and has made 116 appearances for them since joining in 2013, when he was just 18 years old.
He is thought to be angling for a move to German champions Bayern Munich, and Barcelona were also high on his wishlist but the Catalan club have now made it clear that they will not look to sign him.
Goretzka is an athletic player who can sit behind the striker or play further back in the midfield in more of a box-to-box role — he has a good defensive workrate whilst also being a great attacking threat, which would be perfect for United’s midfield.
The young German is also an aerial threat and a big presence, standing at six feet and two inches, whilst being comparable to Michael Carrick in his vision and ability to read the game two or three passes ahead of the action. He would certainly be a coup for the Red Devils.
