Goretzka will be ´full member of squad´ if he stays, says Bayern sporting director

Bayern Munich’s sporting director Max Eberl says that Leon Goretzka will not be exiled if he stays at the club after the transfer window closes.

Under Thomas Tuchel last season, Goretzka started in 25 of his 30 Bundesliga appearances, winning 23 of his 41 tackles, only ranking sixth highest in the Bayern squad.

The midfielder looks to have slipped down the pecking order since Vincent Kompany’s arrival, playing a bit-part role during pre-season.

Goretzka, who has made 221 appearances since joining from Schalke in 2018, was left out of the squad for their 4-0 win over Ulm in the first round of the DFB-Pokal last Friday.

However, he did start Tuesday’s 4-0 friendly win over Grasshopper Club Zurich, playing just over an hour as he filled a gap in defence after it was confirmed Josip Stanisic will miss the start of the season after undergoing knee surgery.

Goretzka’s future is no clearer heading into the start of the season, with only tentative links to Liverpool or Barcelona being reported.

The German is reportedly keen to fight for his place in Kompany’s squad, and Eberl says that will be a possibility if he is still at the club at the end of the transfer window.

“At Bayern Munich, there’s no second training group,” he told Sky Sports Germany. “Leon is a great player and played well today. If he stays, he will be a full member of our squad.”

Positiver letzter Test vor dem #Bundesliga-Start! #FCBGCZ #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/EP1FPFzSpK

— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) August 20, 2024

While speaking to Abendzeitung, he said: “We never spoke badly about Leon. He has done great things for FC Bayern.

“Competitive situations are quite normal in football. Leon is a full member of the team. We only hinted that it could be difficult.”

Bayern’s final pre-season game ended in another dominant win, with Michael Olise, Harry Kane, Mathys Tel and Thomas Muller netting the goals.

They will begin their season against Wolfsburg on Sunday, and Eberl noted the importance of the extra preparation before they launch a title challenge.

“It was important that we had another test to get fit, to internalize the processes and new ideas,” Eberl told Bayern’s media channels.

“It’s a positive result, we didn’t concede a goal. We are satisfied

“We have a new coaching team that brings new energy into the dressing room. We showed decent performances in the preparation, and now we want to win every game.”