Liverpool’s bid to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Mario Gotze this summer is set to come under serious threat from Borussia Dortmund.
Jurgen Klopp is understood to have identified the Bayern Munich playmaker, who rose to prominence under him at the Signal Iduna Park, as a key part of his summer overhaul at Anfield.
But German football expert Raphael Honigstein claims that Gotze’s planned move to the Reds could be hampered by Bayern’s interest in the World Cup winner’s former Dortmund team mate Mats Hummels.
Dortmund fans have made their feelings on Gotze’s potential return painfully clear in recent weeks, with a series of public declarations during games.
But with Hummels recently telling the Bundesliga club of his desire to join their arch rivals, Honigstein believes Bayern will use the 23-year-old as a makeweight in any deal for the defender.
He wrote: “Gotze: Dortmund confident he wants to come back.
“But negotiations with Bayern have not started. Complicated by Hummels.
“Dortmund hinting at possibility to pick Gotze up for free in 2017.
“Most likely outcome: part-exchange plus € for Hummels this summer.”