Leon Goretzka joins Aston Villa on free transfer after eight seasons at Bayern Munich

Midfield reinforcement in Birmingham

Aston Villa confirmed the signing of German midfielder Leon Goretzka on Thursday following the conclusion of his contract with Bayern Munich. The 31-year-old moves to the Premier League as a free agent, marking his first professional spell outside Germany after making more than 500 career appearances. Goretzka arrives in Birmingham with 73 international caps and three World Cup appearances for Germany. The club announced the transfer on social media with the phrase "If you need an engine, trust Germany," while declining to disclose the exact length of the contract. He becomes the fourth German player in Villa's history, following Thomas Hitzlsperger (2000 to 2005), Stefan Beinlich, and Matthias Breitkreutz (both 1992 to 1994).

Goretzka addressed his decision to move to England after taking time to consider his career options following the expiry of his Bayern contract in June.

As is known, I had a slightly longer vacation. It was a process where I really wanted to find out what I wanted. And here, from the first moment, I had a really good feeling.

Eight seasons and silverware in Munich

Goretzka began his senior career at hometown club VfL Bochum before spending five years at Schalke 04 between 2013 and 2018, making 147 appearances. He joined Bayern Munich on a free transfer in 2018 and compiled 312 appearances, 51 goals, and 53 assists over eight seasons in Bavaria. His honours in Munich include seven Bundesliga titles, three German Cups, three German Supercups, the 2020 Champions League title, one UEFA Super Cup, and one FIFA Club World Cup. During his final campaign under manager Vincent Kompany, he made 48 appearances, scoring five goals and adding five assists, including Bayern's 102nd league goal against FC St. Pauli to surpass a club record from the 1970s. Bayern announced in January that his deal would not be renewed.

Squad rebuild under Unai Emery

Goretzka is Villa's eighth incoming signing during a transfer window that saw seven departures under manager Unai Emery. Villa sold attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers to Chelsea for 138 million euros, central defender Ezri Konsa to Arsenal for approximately 60 million euros, and Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans to Manchester United for 41 million euros. To offset the departures, Villa signed Swiss attacker Johan Manzambi from SC Freiburg for 60 million euros and Brazilian midfielder João Gomes from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Following Bayern's January announcement, Goretzka was linked with clubs including Barcelona, Juventus, Arsenal, AC Milan, and Napoli before committing to Villa.

European ambitions and upcoming fixtures

Villa secured qualification for the Champions League after finishing fourth in the Premier League and winning the Europa League final against SC Freiburg last season. The Birmingham club, which also played in the Champions League during the 2024/25 campaign, could face Bayern Munich in the upcoming European group stage. Domestically, Emery's side opened the Premier League season with a 0-4 loss away at Brighton and Hove Albion, with a home match against Arsenal scheduled for Monday. Goretzka previously stated his desire to pursue a fresh competitive challenge abroad in March.

I would like to play truly competitive football abroad once again.