Leon Goretzka 'decides' to join Barcelona over Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Juventus

Schalke 04 star Leon Goretzka is determined to join Barcelona either in the upcoming January transfer window or next summer.

Mundo Deportivo claims that Bayern Munich, Juventus and Liverpool are also interested in his services but the German international "has decided that he only wants to play at Barcelona if he leaves his current side".

Goretzka, 22, has attracted the attention of a number of European clubs since it emerged that his contact at Schalke will expire at the end of the current season.

Bayern were said to been keen on signing him for free in the summer but in September Mundo Deportivo reported that Barcelona planned to bring forward his arrival to January in order to win the race.

The Spanish publication added that the La Liga giants were even ready to pay around €10m or €15m (£13.2m, $17.5m) for his services to convince Schalke to let him go despite knowing he will be a free agent in the summer.

Mundo Deportivo has now provided a major update in the saga by claiming that the player has decided that he wants to move to the Nou Camp.

The Spanish publication says that Goretzka's agent, Jörg Neubauer, has informed Barcelona about his client's plans after having snubbed the overtures of other clubs like Bayern, Juventus and Liverpool.

But there are still doubts over whether Goretzka's move will happen in January or in the summer. Schalke, nevertheless, have asked the player to continue until the end of the season to help them to achieve their targets though this would mean losing him for free in the summer.

Meanwhile, Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona are also having doubts over whether to sign him now or wait until the summer with the final decision expecting to be linked with Philippe Coutinho's future.

Both players are very different but the Spanish publication suggests that, if Barcelona manage to sign the Liverpool ace, they will have to delay the arrival of Goretzka until the summer due to financial reasons.

One way or another Mundo Deportivo says that the Catalans will certainly sign Goretzka at some point as the club chiefs consider that his arrival is "a transfer opportunity" too tempting to let go.

If Barcelona sign him in January the Catalans will pay a cut-price fee to Schalke for his services while if they wait until the summer Mundo Deportivo suggests that the money will go to Goretzka as a signing-on bonus for joining the club as a free-agent.

Meanwhile, the report adds that Goretzka has spoken with Marc-André ter Stegen about the move after the Barcelona 'keeper said that his international teammate is ready to make a step up to the Nou Camp.