- Lionel Messi left disappointed as Barcelona miss out on top target
- Bayern Munich set to sign Leon Goretzka at the end of the season
- Pressure on for Catalan giants to now land Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool
- READ MORE: Crucial update from Spanish football expert to clear up Coutinho to Barcelona storm
As seen in the tweet below, Schalke ace Leon Goretzka has reportedly chosen Bayern Munich in the summer, and Barcelona ace Lionel Messi isn’t impressed.
The 22-year-old was arguably one of the most in-demand players in Europe, as aside from impressing for club and country, his contract with Schalke expires at the end of the season which left him available on a free transfer.
Although there has been no official word as of yet from either club, the report below would suggest that Bayern have reached an agreement to sign Goretzka, and so it will leave several other interested parties disappointed.
There you go. https://t.co/0ZPXeWtiOO
— Raphael Honigstein (@honigstein) December 31, 2017
Among those parties were Barcelona, and as Don Balon note, as re-reported by The Express, Messi has been left frustrated that the German international isn’t bound for the Nou Camp as he had been considered an ideal alternative to Philippe Coutinho.
As noted by Spanish football expert Guillem Balague in his tweet below, such is the transfer fee that the Brazilian playmaker would command along with another reported target in Antoine Griezmann, Barcelona will have their work cut out in raising the necessary funds and so it will surely complicate their hopes of reaching an agreement this month.
FCB want Griezmann and Coutinho, but can they pay for both? Not as it stands. They need to sell around eight players between now and the summer to reduce the huge wage bill (over 80% of income) and have transfer money available.
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) December 31, 2017
In turn, missing out on Goretzka may turn out to be a major blow given he would have arrived for no fee, and if Coutinho doesn’t arrive in January, then Ernesto Valverde may not get any reinforcements for the second half of the campaign to maintain their impressive start under his stewardship this season.
That will naturally be a disappointment for Messi too, but time will tell if they can finally reach an agreement for Coutinho. Having had three bids of up to £114m rejected over the summer, as per BBC Sport, there’s no guarantee a deal will be struck now.