Schalke midfielder Leon Goretzka will join Bayern Munich next summer, according to Bild.
The German international has been heavily linked with a switch to the Premier League with Chelsea among five English teams credited with an interest in the 23 year old.
Schalke have been trying to persuade Goretzka into signing a new deal worth upwards of €12million a year (£205,000 a week) but the club have now resigned themselves to losing the highly sought after midfielder to their Bundesliga rivals at the end of the season.
When he spoke to Bild back in October about the work they put into securing the German on a longer term contract at the Veltins-Arena, Schalke sporting director Christian Heidel was adamant they had done everything possible to keep the player.
However, it seems his head was turned as far back as June when Goretzka’s representative Jorg Neubauer reportedly spoke to Bayern about a possible switch to Bavaria. Schalke could have sold the attacking midfielder in the summer, or even for a cut price deal this month, but it seems they have decided to keep the player until the end of the season when he will leave on a free transfer.
