Arsenal have been dealt a significant blow in their pursuit of a Champions League-winning midfielder, with Manchester United now understood to be the frontrunners to land his signature.
The Gunners may be embroiled in an intense Premier League title race, but sporting director Andrea Berta isn’t prepared to rest on his laurels. The Italian is already drawing up transfer plans for the summer, with the likes of Julian Alvarez and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia being heavily linked with a switch to the Emirates.
Alvarez has been earmarked as the potential marquee addition, although the North Londoners are looking to add a few more squad pieces to bolster the overall depth of Mikel Arteta’s roster.
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Arsenal suffer transfer blow in pursuit of Leon Goretzka
Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice have been overburdened with minutes this season, and Arsenal are now starting to pay the price for this. Both midfielders have shown signs of fatigue, negatively impacting their performance levels, while Christian Norgaard hasn’t been trusted to take minutes off the pair.
Thus, it’s no surprise that the Gunners have identified this as an area of concern that they need to address in the summer window. While the likes of Sandro Tonali and Elliott Anderson are linked with lucrative moves to North London, a more cost-efficient signing is also being explored.
Leon Goretzka is on Arsenal’s radar, with the German set to leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season when his contract expires. It’s said that Arteta is a huge admirer of Goretzka and is interested in bringing the player to the Emirates on a free transfer.
Leon Goretzka verlässt im Sommer den FC Bayern nach acht erfolgreichen Jahren. Bis dahin werden wir alles daran setzen, gemeinsam weitere Titel zu gewinnen! Pack ma's, @leongoretzka_! 🔴⚪ pic.twitter.com/jGzuvuzT6N
— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) January 30, 2026
However, Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Arsenal’s Premier League rivals United have already ‘made a move’ for the 31-year-old. The Red Devils are set to lose veteran midfielder Casemiro at the end of the season, and they view Goretzka as a viable replacement.
It’s believed that United’s ability to offer the Champions League winner a more lucrative contract and more regular minutes means that they currently lead the race to land the free agent.
Arsenal shouldn’t move for Leon Goretzka anyway
Goretzka is understood to be demanding a salary in the region of €7 million-a-year, which equates to roughly £117,000-a-week. While this isn’t an extortionate sum for a player of his calibre, it’s significant enough for Arsenal to pass on the opportunity to sign him, even if they can secure him without paying a transfer fee.
| Leon Goretzka’s Bundesliga Statistics 2025/26 | |
| Appearances | 24 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Pass Accuracy | 93.1% |
| Successful Passes per 90 | 71.1 |
| Shots per 90 | 1.05 |
| Interceptions per 90 | 1.35 |
| Tackles per 90 | 1.42 |
While Goretzka is still a very competent midfielder in his own right, he wouldn’t challenge either Zubimendi or Rice for a starting berth. His defensive output in the Bundesliga is already minimal, and given his age, this would likely only decline in the Premier League – and Arteta won’t stand for that.
On the ball, he doesn’t quite offer the progressive passing and carrying that he used to, while his ability to crash the box and score goals has also declined significantly. Opting to sign Goretzka would be a mistake, and the Gunners should let United have a free hit on him, rather than spending the entire summer trying to persuade him to ply his trade in Islington.
