Germany general manager Oliver Bierhoff has hinted that Schalke 04 midfielder Leon Goretzka is close to joining a club in the Premier League.
Goretzka has less than a year remaining on his contract at the Bundesliga side, with sporting director Christian Heidel already stating that the club have done all they can to keep the German international at the Veltins-Arena.
Liverpool, Manchester United and Barcelona have all been linked with Goretzka in recent months, and Bierhoff has suggested that it is inevitable that the highly-regarded 22-year-old will leave in the summer.
The 49-year-old is quoted by The Guardian as saying: "We feel that England, because of the amount of money you have with TV rights, young talented players like Leroy Sane and [Schalke's] Leon Goretzka are moving to England [or to another country] and this is not good for our league but also for the quality of our game.
"We have to pay attention and invest again and again in the education of our coaches."
Goretzka has scored 18 goals in 125 appearances for Schalke in all competitions.
Darren Plant
