Aston Villa are set to pull off a major transfer coup after reaching a verbal agreement to sign German international Leon Goretzka.
Goretzka has been a free agent since leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season and he had also been linked with a move to Newcastle United, but it now appears he will be heading to Villa Park.
An agreement in principle has been reached and the transfer looks set to go through once the 31-year-old has undergone a medical.
The transfer will not be completed in time for Goretzka to make his Villa debut in their Premier League opener at Brighton on Sunday, but he could be involved for their first home match of the season against Arsenal on Monday 31st August.
Villa in need of reinforcements
The impending arrival of Goretzka will be a major boost for Villa, who have seen numerous key players leave over the summer, particularly in the middle of the park with Amadou Onana expected to miss most of the season after sustaining a knee injury at the World Cup.
Youri Tielemans has joined Manchester United and Morgan Rogers swapped Villa for Chelsea in a big-money deal. Lucas Digne and Ezri Konsa have also left for Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal respectively, while the futures of goalkeeper Emi Martinez and forward Ollie Watkins also remain up in the air.
Villa have brought in the likes of Johan Manzambi and Joao Gomes already this summer to help plug some of those gaps, but both those players are currently sidelined by injury.
With Unai Emery's side having to juggle UEFA Champions League and Premier League commitments this season, they will need a deep squad and the addition of Goretzka can only be a positive.
Goretzka will bring winning mentality
Villa ended their 30-year trophy drought by lifting last season's Europa League and Goretzka will bring with him a winning mentality after a trophy-laden eight-year spell with Bayern.
During his time at the Allianz Arena, Goretzka won seven Bundesliga titles, three DFB-Pokals, the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.
The 31-year-old has also made 74 appearances in the UEFA Champions League for Bayern and first club Schalke and has represented Germany 73 times, featuring at four major tournaments.
More arrivals expected at Villa Park
It could be a busy end to the transfer market for Villa, with Goretzka unlikely to be the final new signing through the door at Bodymoor Heath.
The Villans have reportedly had a bid rejected for Southampton centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis as they go in search of a replacement for the recently departed Konsa, while AC Milan's Fikayo Tomori is another option being considered.
Further forward Nicolas Jackson, a player Emery knows well from their time together at Villarreal, has been earmarked as a replacement for Watkins, although he is valued at a reported £65m by current club Chelsea.
Joao Palhinha has also been linked with a move to Villa Park but he now looks set to join Portuguese giants Benfica, which would seemingly be one of the main reasons Villa have stepped up their pursuit for Goretzka.
Goretzka move a show of intent
Villa finished fourth in the Premier League last season, securing a return to the UEFA Champions League, and the impending arrival of Goretzka signals they intend to be competitive on both fronts this term.
The Villans are 50/1 to win the domestic title, but they are 33/1 to go all the way in the UEFA Champions League, a competition they have previous in after reaching the quarter-finals during the 2024/25 season and, of course, they famously lifted the European Cup in 1982 - beating Goretzka's former club Bayern Munich in the final.
