As Germany opens im World Cup against Curaçao on Sunday, one of im players fit extend im stay for United States beyond di tournament.
A source wey no wan make dem mention im name tell ESPN say German international and Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka di MLS side Chicago Fire FC dey pursue am.
Di same source also confirm say Chicago still dey yarn with Goretzka former club teammate Robert Lewandowski, with di club “closing in, but not done” for deal to land di Barcelona and Poland international forward.
Di source request anonymity because dem no get authorization to speak publicly on di matter. The Athletic be di first to report di news.
Both players be free agents, with dia respective contracts wey go expire at di end of di month. Di two players bin be teammates at Bayern from 2018 to 2022.
Goretzka, wey be 31 years old, win seven Bundesliga titles and one Champions League during im hugely successful eight-season spell with Bayern. All told, im make 312 appearances with di club for all competitions. Im don previously play for Vfl Bochum and Schalke 04 for Bundesliga. For international level, Goretzka don make 70 appearances for Germany.
Lewandowski, wey be 37, don be one of Europe most prolific strikers for almost two decades. Apart from im time with Barcelona and Bayern, im also enjoy success with Lech Poznan for im native Poland and Borussia Dortmund. For im career, im don make over 900 appearances at club level, scoring 662 goals. Last season with Barcelona, im score 19 goals for 46 appearances for all competitions.
Signing both players go require some creativity by di Fire for terms of di salary budget, as Chicago get just one Designated Player (DP) spot left. But with both players arriving for midseason, e dey possible say one of di contracts fit be structured for way wey no go count as DP dis season, like Inter Miami do with Rodrigo De Paul for 2025.
According to latest reports out of Poland wey Catalan media echo, di former Barcelona striker set to play for MLS next season, representing Chicago Fire. Di Polish star reportedly bin happy with wetin dem discuss for im meeting with club executives and now dey ready to continue im career for American soccer, following for di footsteps of stars like Leo Messi, Thomas Müller, Antoine Griezmann, and Son Heung-min.
Dem dey yarn say na two-year contract with option for third, plus net salary of around €10 million per season, and possibility of remaining linked to di club for future as global ambassador for Chicago Fire. Di terms of di offer don convince Lewandowski over other proposals from di Saudi league.
At 37, Lewandowski still want to do wetin im sab do best: score goals and prove to di Polish national team say im fit still be factor ahead of di next European Championship. However, some Polish journalists suggest di deal no go finalize as quick as dem report, as di striker want to carefully assess all options before making im final decision.
