Arsenal are reportedly hoping to win the race for Tottenham target Leon Goretzka.
According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal intend to open talks with Schalke midfielder Leon Goretzka in a bid to beat off competition for his signature.
The Gunners raided Schalke last summer by snapping up left wing back Sead Kolasinac on a free transfer, and they appear to be keen on repeating that particular trick again in 2018.
Schalke – who also lost defender Joel Matip to Liverpool on a free transfer in 2016 – are facing a third successive summer of losing a key player for nothing, with Leon Goretzka’s contract running down.
The Daily Mail report that Arsenal are now planning to open contract talks with Goretzka in January, with a view to signing the German to a pre-contract agreement, joining for free at the end of the season.
Goretzka, 22, joined Schalke from hometown club VfL Bochum in 2013, and has really impressed for the Bundesliga side, notching eight goals and four assists last season.
The midfielder – who also has six goals in 12 caps for Germany – has hit the headlines this season with four goals in nine games, unsurprisingly attracting plenty of interest.
The Mirror recently claimed that Tottenham Hotspur are eyeing up a bargain deal for Goretzka in 2018, but rivals Arsenal are now attempting to steal a march by opening talks with the January transfer window opens.
Tottenham’s hopes won’t entirely die until Arsenal secure a deal for Goretzka, but with former teammate Kolasinac – as well as German international teammate Mesut Ozil – already at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal may well be favourites to sign him.
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