Aston Villa Close in on Leon Goretzka for Midfield Rebuild
Aston Villa are closing in on a statement midfield signing, with Germany international Leon Goretzka on the verge of joining on a free transfer.
The 31-year-old is available after leaving Bayern Munich in the summer and has held positive talks with Villa, who are moving quickly to plug the growing gaps in Unai Emery’s squad.
Emery turns to serial winner
Emery has been hunting experience and authority in the middle of the pitch ever since Amadou Onana was ruled out until next year with a knee injury suffered while on World Cup duty with Belgium. Onana’s absence ripped a hole in Villa’s engine room. Goretzka is the kind of player you bring in to stitch it back together.
Villa had pushed to reunite Goretzka with his former Bayern team-mate Joao Palhinha, but the midfielder is now expected to join Benfica instead. The focus has shifted firmly onto Goretzka, a proven operator at the very top level.
His record at Bayern underlines why. Across eight years in Munich he made 312 appearances, scored 51 goals and stacked up major honours: seven Bundesliga titles and the Champions League in 2020. On the international stage he has 73 caps for Germany and featured three times at this summer’s World Cup.
This is not a project signing. It is a ready-made leader for a dressing room that has lost several of its pillars in one window.
Big names out, big calls to make
Villa’s summer has been ruthless. Ezri Konsa left for Arsenal on Friday in a deal worth an initial £51m. Morgan Rogers followed the money to Chelsea for £117m. Before that, Youri Tielemans moved to Manchester United in July and Lucas Digne returned to Paris St-Germain earlier this month.
Each departure has brought in serious funds. Each one has also stripped away a layer of experience from a squad that qualified for the Champions League and now has to live at that level every three days.
Goretzka, with his medal collection and big-game nous, fits the profile of a player who can steady that transition.
Watkins uncertainty lingers
Emery’s rebuild is not finished, and neither is the uncertainty. Even Ollie Watkins’ future is not guaranteed.
Interest from Al-Hilal has complicated Villa’s stance on their England striker, and Emery admitted on Friday that the situation is delicate.
“We have an issue with him, it's clear. He is our player. We have had offers for him,” the Villa boss said. “I don't want to sell him but it can change because if it's a good option for him and the club and I can replace him in the squad, this is the routine we have and we did before with the players who are leaving.”
That is the reality at Villa Park now: no one is untouchable if the numbers are right and a replacement can be found.
Goretzka looks set to be one of those replacements, a heavyweight arrival in a summer of exits. If Villa get this over the line, the question becomes simple: how far can Emery push a team being rebuilt at full speed?
