Leon Goretzka will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season

Leon Goretzka is set to leave Bayern Munich when his contract expires at the end of the season after rejecting the chance of a move in January.

The German midfielder has been playing for Bayern since 2018, won the Champions League in 2020 and is chasing a seventh Bundesliga title with the club this season.

«His journey at Bayern will be over in the summer,» Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund said on Saturday ahead of the club’s Bundesliga match against Hamburger SV.

He added that the club and Goretzka had held discussions about “concrete questions” from other teams, but said Goretzka wanted to serve out the remaining months of his contract due to Bayern’s strong form this season.

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«As much as I am honored by the interest from top international clubs, I have just as clearly decided that I want to stay with FC Bayern until the end of the season,» Goretzka wrote. Instagramadding that he wanted to end his eight years at the club with a typical Bayern trophy celebration with fans in Munich’s main square.

Goretzka said he felt it was “the right time for me to start a new chapter again, both as a footballer and as a person,” but did not specify a possible destination.

Goretzka has made 28 appearances for Bayern in all competitions this season, but has only started 16. Coach Vincent Kompany regularly preferred Aleksandar Pavlovic next to Joshua Kimmich in midfield.

The 30-year-old Goretzka also attracted attention this week for an interview he gave to the German newspaper The time saying that US President Donald Trump “has succeeded in making us feel not only German, but also European.” Goretzka has played 67 times for Germany, including in all the national team matches as they qualified for this year’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Published on January 30, 2026