Leon Goretzka arrival adds to Bayern Munich's Germany revolution
It's official, Germany's latest midfield maestro, Leon Goretzka, is heading to Bavaria next season with Bayern Munich seeking to further consolidate their reputation as the prime destination for some of the best talent the nation has to offer.
"We're very pleased Leon Goretzka - a Germany international with great potential - has decided in favour of FC Bayern despite big-name international competitors," club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said after it was announced the 22-year-old had agreed terms on a four-year deal at the Allianz Arena. "This way Leon Goretzka remains in the Bundesliga," Rummenigge added.
The news represents one more transfer coup for Bayern and with Goretzka on board from 2018/19, the record champions will look to provide current the FIFA World Cup holders with a significant amount of stars going forward. A FIFA Confederations Cup winner with Germany last summer, Goretzka can boast six goals and two assists in his 12 internationals to date. His place within Joachim Löw's squad for the upcoming finals in Russia seems all but guaranteed, barring any injury setback.
Bayern also recently added Sandro Wagner to their ranks, the striker moving back to his boyhood club from Hoffenheim to help bolster the Bavarians' frontline. "A Germany international is joining FC Bayern in the form of Sandro Wagner," the club's sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic beamed last month. "We’re convinced Sandro has the class and experience to improve the quality of our squad," he continued.
The 2009 European Under-21 Championship winner was another who picked up a gold medal with the seniors in St. Petersburg last July and the 30-year-old will be hoping five goals in seven internationals for Germany will be enough to earn him a berth this time around.
Watch: Jupp Heynckes believes Goretzka's move is positive for the Bundesliga and Bayern
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Indeed, the list of recent captures continues the further back you look. Future Germany international mainstay Niklas Süle was snapped up from Hoffenheim last season, his compatriot and teammate in Sinsheim at the time, Sebastian Rudy - the midfielder with 24 international caps - joining the formidable 22-year-old talent.
How shrewd a move does that of Joshua Kimmich now seem, too, the full-back replacing Philipp Lahm with aplomb in what is his third season since swapping Stuttgart for the present kings of the Bundesliga? Kimmich has already racked up 25 games with Germany - scoring three goals - and at just 22, is set to feature for Die Mannschaft for years after his current international and domestic teammates Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng have hung up their boots.
The Bayern Germany revolution shows no sign of slowing down, and when Serge Gnabry - plucked from Werder Bremen and currently on loan at Hoffenheim - hits his peak, many of the coming generation will be looking to hold down a place in what is set to be star-studded side in the near future. The likes of 17-year-old goalkeeper Christian Früchtl - currently starring with the club's second team in the Regionalliga Bayern - seems even at this early stage the ideal long-term replacement for Manuel Neuer.
Germany Under-19 midfielder Timothy Tilmann, although he has reportedly stated his intention to switch his allegiance to the USA, the nation of his father, and central defender Felix Götze are hotly tipped to make the senior breakthroughs in coming seasons while great things are also expected of holding midfielder Niklas Dorsch, previously a hit at Under-17 level for Germany. With Goretzka latest addition to Bayern's German revolution, the future of the national team is set to boast a distinctly Bavarian air.