The Chicago Fire have opened talks to sign Leon Goretzka as a second major addition alongside Robert Lewandowski, sources close to the process say; Goretzka is a free agent who will depart Bayern Munich when his contract expires at the end of the month.
Goretzka, 31, arrives with a résumé that explains the interest: seven Bundesliga titles and one Champions League with Bayern Munich, 312 appearances for the club overall and 48 appearances this season, plus 70 caps for Germany.
That pedigree matters to the Fire now because Lewandowski is visiting Chicago this weekend as he nears a decision on his next club, and the organization is pursuing Goretzka explicitly as a second major signing rather than as its only target. Goretzka and Lewandowski were teammates at Bayern between 2018 and 2022, and Goretzka is also part of Germany’s World Cup squad this summer, which compresses the timeline for any move.
The immediate friction is roster mechanics: if Lewandowski signs, the Fire would not have an open designated player spot for Goretzka. The club faces stiff competition from European clubs for Goretzka’s signature, and while there is precedent for MLS teams to structure contracts to work around designated player rules, that workaround is not a certainty and would change the financial and roster calculus.
Practically, the next few weeks are decisive. Goretzka’s Bayern contract runs out at the end of the month, so any new club will need to coax a commitment before he departs Munich; at the same time, Lewandowski’s Chicago visit this weekend could settle whether the Fire keep a designated player slot open. European clubs remain active competitors for Goretzka, creating a narrow window for the Fire to convert interest into an agreement.
The unresolved question is straightforward and consequential: will Goretzka choose Chicago over offers from Europe, and will Lewandowski’s decision allow the Fire the roster space to complete both moves? The answers hinge on decisions expected before the end of the month, when Goretzka’s free-agent status becomes immediate and any final roster construction for Chicago will have to be set.
