Barcelona scout Juve and Liverpool target
- Kaustubh Pandey
The Catalans see this as the perfect opportunity to sign Goretzka, who starred for Germany in this past summer’s Confederations Cup and his current deal at the Veltins Arena runs out in June next year.
It is reported that Barcelona officials were watching the 22-year-old from the stands during Schalke’s recent Bundesliga game against Mainz. Goretzka scored once, helping his club pick up a 2-0 win at home.
Barcelona technical secretary Robert Fernandez has watched Goretzka multiple times, along with Urbano Ortega and international consultant Ariedo Braida. This weekend, Fernandez was present at Wembley to watch Philippe Coutinho play against Tottenham.
It is believed that Goretzka’s agent Jörg Neubauer, who personally talked to Fernandez, wants to know as to whether Barcelona will make a concrete offer for his client in January, because Bayern Munich are also looking to sign Goretzka on free and have already held talks with the Bochum-born midfielder.
Goretzka is well aware of interest from the La Liga giants and has been in contact with Germany teammate Marc Andre ter Stegen regarding a possible move to the Nou Camp.