Goretzka's contract expires this summer and a free transfer to AC Milan is considered all but confirmed, with Tz reporting he has agreed a three-year deal worth €5 million per season, choosing the Rossoneri ahead of interest from Juventus, Arsenal, Napoli, Atlético Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur.
Kompany made clear the selection is earned.
"Leon Goretzka will start tomorrow. But this is not a gift. He has deserved it through his performances and through everything he has experienced with the team over the years."
Bayern Munich held a farewell party for Goretzka on Wednesday evening, a private event described as a "White Party" with a strict dress code, attended by teammates and close club associates. Raphael Guerreiro and loanee Nicolas Jackson will also be farewelled before kick-off at the Allianz Arena.
Saturday's game against Köln will be Goretzka's 311th Bundesliga appearance for Bayern — and his final one at the ground, barring a cup call-up later in the month. Bayern face VfB Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal final in Berlin on 23 May, which may offer him one last chance to end his time at the club with silverware.
Goretzka joined Bayern from Schalke 04 in 2018, initially on a free transfer. He won eight Bundesliga titles, two DFB Cups and the Champions League with the club, establishing himself as one of the Bundesliga's finest box-to-box midfielders before suffering a series of injury setbacks that cost him significant playing time in his later seasons.
At Milan, he would enter a midfield that includes Luka Modrić and Adrien Rabiot, with the club still fighting for a Champions League place with two Bundesliga games remaining.