Dortmund deny crazy reports of Mario Goetze return from Bayern Munich

Bild carries a report, sourced from Sport1-Doppelpass, claiming that the two clubs could be ready to construct a most unlikely deal which would see Goetze and Ilkay Gundogan swap clubs.

World Cup winner Goetze left Dortmund under a cloud in 2013 when it was announced in April that he would be joining Bayern for a fee of £32m at the end of the season, making him the most expensive German player of all time.

But if these reports are to be believed, Dortmund boss Hans-Joachim Watzke and Bayern CEO Karl Heinz Rummenigge had a meeting prior to the German Cup semi-final between the two clubs last week to discuss the most unlikely transfer of this or any other Bundesliga season.

When asked whether Goetze’s future was discussed in these talks, Zorc said: “In this particular case, I cannot imagine that this has been the content of the conversation.

“I am hearing about this for the first time. We transferred Mario to Bayern Munich for a high amount. He is a player of Bayern Munich. I cannot imagine that.”

The hero of Germany’s World Cup final win has been searching for form for a number of weeks now. In the 2-0 defeat to Bayern Leverkusen at the weekend, Goetze twice ran through on goal but twice failed to beat keeper Bernd Leno.

Asked about Goetze’s performance, Pep Guardiola said: “He played a good game, he has had a bit of bad luck.” But this seemed rather less convincing than his declaration a few weeks ago that Goetze was “one of the best professionals I have ever trained in my career.”

The truth is that Guardiola expects a lot more of a player who is an idol in Germany. Goetze scored six goals in the first 10 games of the season but has only scored twice in the league in 2015. The absence due to injury of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben has put more responsibility on Goetze’s shoulders but he is not delivering at present. It has overwhelmed him.

Bayern legend Lothat Matthaeus said to Sport Bild recently: “After nearly two years in Munich you have to say that the transfer to FC Bayern came too early for Goetze. He is a player who needs tender loving care, but you do not get this kind of warmth from Pep Guardiola.”

So while rumours of a return to Dortmund may be wide of the mark, there is certainly a question over whether Goetze and Bayern will be a good fit beyond this season, and perhaps more accurately, Goetze and Guardiola.