Leon Goretzka could arrive as Mesut Ozil leaves the club, that’s what some tabloids are claiming as they name Goretzka Ozil’s successor.

Like Ozil, Schalke midfielder Leon Goretzka is out of contract in the summer and has a whole host of teams interested in him.

According to AS (via Sport Witness), Arsenal’s new head of recruitment, Sven Mislintat, has already recommended Goretzka to Arsene Wenger.

It so happens to tie in nicely with their stories about Mesut Ozil joining Barcelona in January or in the summer when his deal with Arsenal expires.

As a creative force, the 22-year-old is not yet on Ozil’s level

The Mirror, on the other hand, believe that Goretzka has chosen to join Barcelona, which would suggest that they’re not after Ozil after all.

It shouldn’t actually be a case of one or the other for the Spanish club (or Arsenal, for that matter), as Ozil and Gortezka are very different players.

Goretzka operates deeper in midfield and is a box-to-box player. While he does possess skill on the ball, his main attributes are his dynamism and tireless running.

As a creative force, the 22-year-old is not yet on Ozil’s level. While he’s scored four goals for Schalke this season, he hasn’t registered a single assist.

If Arsenal are looking to sign Goretzka, it would be to strengthen the midfield pairing and offer competition to the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka.

Either that, or they’re looking to change the make-up of the midfield to one that isn’t so reliant on the craft and guile of an Ozil-type player.