This summer, Manchester United made some good hires, but there is one unexpected acquisition who would transcend most to resemble a world celebrity.

Leon Goretzka is departing Bayern Munich, right?

Real Madrid lured England international Jude Bellingham to join Carlo Ancelotti’s youth-focused revolution with one of the most costly signings in their history, making it one of the greatest moves completed this window.

He was desired by many Premier League teams, with Manchester United and Liverpool being the loudest in their pursuit. But ultimately, the appeal of Los Blancos proved to be too much, and they were all compelled to leave.

With Leon Goretzka remaining on their radar as one potential candidate, Erik ten Hag may now be able to land his own version of the 20-year-old maestro.

Although the aforementioned story, which was released earlier this week, did mention his wish to “100%” remain in Germany, the financial incentive and constantly-improving project suggested may convince the 28-year-old to consider making a transition. It was mentioned in July that Bayern Munich might be persuaded to sell with a bid of about €50 million (£43 million).

Leon Goretzka: How good is he?

With his arsenal including steel, stability, creativity, and goalscoring energy, the all-action midfielder has established himself as one of the best in his position across Europe since moving to the Allianz Arena in 2018.

In truth, Peter Neururer’s old coach made the following suggestions:

“In my opinion, no one in the world is better than him as a centre midfielder or as a box-to-box player. He is difficult to beat when he plays in the proper position, on the right team, and under the correct system.

This was supplemented by journalist Ricardo López.

“In a previous life, Leon Goretzka worked as a lighthouse keeper. What a spirited creature.

All of his statistics support these assertions, which is not surprising given how well he performs when measured against other midfielders around Europe. According to FBref, he really has a top 1% ranking for non-penalty anticipated goals per 90, a top 4% ranking for assists per 90, and a top 3% ranking for blocks per 90.

The similarities with Bellingham are probably due to his well-rounded perfection, and FBref helps by listing the former Borussia Dortmund star on Goretzka’s list of comparable players.

The talented athlete, who was born in Birmingham, has just returned from a stellar campaign in Germany, where his 7.40 average rating was the fifth-highest of any player in the division.

This was partly aided by his comparable propensity to excel in every category, as shown by his eight goals, four assists, 83% pass accuracy, 67% dribble success rate, 1.1 critical passes, and 2.5 tackles per game, according to Sofascore.

Although Goretzka excels in all the same areas as the young gem and has far more experience, there is very little that he cannot achieve.

As a result of his 179 games for the legendary Munich team, he played a crucial part in the team’s five Bundesliga championships and one Champions League victory.

He might follow in the footsteps of the illustrious Bastian Schweinsteiger by relocating to Old Trafford from his native Germany and offering his title-winning experience to assist Ten Hag’s developing team advance.

Bellingham having been taken off the market, Goretzka hardly represents a downgrade to assume his position and assist in transforming the United team into a legitimate contender.