Tottenham did not have to wait long to find out whether they would be signing Leon Goretzka from Bayern Munich this window.
Tottenham were linked with Goretzka earlier this week as it emerged he would make an imminent decision on his Bayern future.
Goretzka is out of contract at the Allianz Arena in the summer and has been the subject of interest from multiple clubs away from Spurs, including Atletico Madrid.
And news emerged on Friday of an official decision being made on Goretzka’s future.
Leon Goretzka to leave Bayern Munich this summer
Goretzka has been with Bayern since 2018 and has won six Bundesliga titles during that time, as well as the Champions League in 2020.
MORE SPURS STORIES
But as announced by Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund, Goretzka will leave the Bavarian giants this summer.
That does mean, however, he will not be going anywhere prior to Monday night’s deadline, so it means Spurs will not be landing a major upgrade over the coming days.
“As much as I’m honoured by interest from international top clubs, I’ve decided just as clearly that I would like to stay with FC Bayern until the end of the season,” Goretzka posted on Instagram.
The 30-year-old is now expected to attract even more interest ahead of the summer transfer window, but it remains to be seen if Tottenham will be involved in the race.
Goretzka would have instantly lifted Tottenham – the stats show why
It is pretty clear the see why teams such as Atletico and Tottenham are so eager to land Goretzka.
As highlighted by the Sofascore graphic below, Goretzka averages 2.50 ball recoveries per game across all competitions for Bayern this season.
He also has a remarkable 92 per cent pass-accuracy success and wins half of his duels, helping to control play from midfield.
The fact he has been used 28 times this season – 16 of those starts – also highlighted how important he still remains to Vincent Kompany, even if as more of a squad player these days.
Tottenham have their fair share of midfielders in the mould of Goretzka, but it is fair to say none of them do it as well.
If this is a deal the Lilywhites could therefore pursue in the summer, they need to do exactly that.