Liverpool FC to step up battle with Dortmund to land £20m Mario Gotze

Liverpool FC transfer news: Click here for all the latest from Anfield
Mario Gotze will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season
Borussia Dortmund are considered favourites to sign the World Cup winner
However Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is desperate to take Gotze to Anfield

Published:
11:03 GMT, 12 May 2016

|
Updated:
15:10 GMT, 12 May 2016

View
comments

Liverpool are ready to step up their pursuit of Mario Gotze and prove they are serious rivals to Borussia Dortmund in the race for his £20million signature.

Gotze, who scored the goal that won Germany the World Cup in 2014 but has struggled to scale those heights under Pep Guardiola, will leave Bayern Munich this summer, a decision which incoming manager Carlo Ancelotti has given his seal of approval.

He has 12 months remaining on his contract and the feeling in Bavaria is that he will head back to Dortmund, where he emerged under Jurgen Klopp, as part of a team that won the Bundesliga and reached the Champions League final.

Liverpool are ready to step up their pursuit of Mario Gotze who is set to leave Bayern Munich this summer

Gotze arrived at Bayern Munich in July 2013 and has made more than 100 appearances for the club

MARIO GOTZE BAYERN MUNICH STATS 2015-16 SEASON

Games played: 20

Goals scored: 4

Assists: 4

Bundesliga successful pass percentage: 88

Bundesliga minutes played: 866

Klopp was distraught when Gotze left for Bayern in 2013 but he is a huge admirer of Gotze and will pull out all the stops in his attempts to secure a reunion with the gifted midfielder, who has already been capped 50 times by Germany.

Dortmund fans, however, have never forgiven Gotze for the way he left and relations between Dortmund and Bayern are fractious, given that Bayern have just completed the signing of Dortmund’s influential captain Matts Hummels.

Liverpool have an opportunity to qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League next week and, should they do they achieve that target, their hopes of securing Gotze would dramatically improve.

The 23-year-old scored the winning goal in the World Cup final but has not reached those heights with Bayern

Gotze is well aware of Liverpool’s interest and he has sounded out people about what life is like on Merseyside, what demands are placed on a player in the Barclays Premier League and what Liverpool as a club are like.

Klopp has already made two signings for the summer, with Joel Matip arriving on a free from Schalke to bolster his defence and Marko Grujic, the Serbia Under-21 international, joining from Red Star Belgrade.

Grujic was at Anfield on Wednesday to see Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

Champions League qualification could boost Jurgen Klopp’s chances of reuniting with his former charge

Liverpool’s manager is also tracking the Poland midfielder Piotr Zielinski and Leicester defender Ben Chilwell. Liverpool were also interested in Rennes forward Ousmane Dembele but he has signed for Borussia Dortmund.

When Klopp was asked about Gotze in April, he said: ‘I never say anything about a transfer, whether we are interested or not.

‘I speak about transfers when they are done, not before. We can talk two hours about Mario but it wouldn’t change a per cent whether he comes here or goes wherever.’