Arsenal

Arsenal & Liverpool Dealt Blow As Chelsea Hold Talks With £35m Target

Liverpool and Arsenal have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Mario Gotze after Chelsea held talks with his agents over a potential £35m move this summer

by
Fraser Crawford
May 13, 2016

The opening of the summer transfer window is fast approaching so we’ll bring you all the latest transfer rumours and gossip from around the globe. Today, Chelsea hold talks with Arsenal and Liverpool target Mario Gotze…

Liverpool and Arsenal have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Mario Gotze after Chelsea held talks with his agents over a potential £35m move to Stamford Bridge this summer, according to the Express.

Gotze has struggled to establish himself at the Allianz Arena following his controversial move from Borussia Dortmund in 2013 with the playmaker failing to hold down a regular first team place under Pep Guardiola.

The 23-year-old has started just 11 games in all competitions this season and has played just six minutes of Champions League football since returning from a hamstring injury at the turn of the year.

Gotze’s chances of resurrecting his Bayern career under in-coming boss Carlo Ancelotti look slim with reports in Germany claiming that the Italian tactician has already informed the attacker he’s not part of his plans and is free to find a new club this summer.

This has alerted several clubs in the Premier League with Munich-based newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reporting this week that Arsenal had joined Liverpool in expressing their interest in signing Gotze this summer.

Arsene Wenger is under pressure to invest heavily in his squad following a disappointing campaign in North London and Gotze could be viewed as a potential replacement for the likes of Theo Walcott, Tomas Rosicky or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – who are all being tipped to leave Arsenal.

Liverpool’s interest has been even more intense with widespread reports suggesting that Jurgen Klopp is desperate to be reunited with the German international at Anfield having spent successful years together at Dortmund.

However, it looks like the duo will now face stiff competition as the Express claim that Chelsea have now entered the race for Gotze’s signature after being tipped off about his availability by former boss Ancelotti.

The newspaper suggests that the Italian manager informed Blues officials that Gotze is available for around £35m this summer and Chelsea have now held talks with the player’s representatives about a potential switch to Stamford Bridge.

New Blues boss Antonio Conte is expected to undergo an overhaul of the Chelsea squad following a disastrous campaign and Gotze would be the kind of marquee signing that would get fans excited again heading in to next season.

The German attacker is a huge talent and while he’s been unable to show his full ability at Bayern in recent years, I think he’d flourish if given a more prominent role at a new club next season.

We’ll have to wait and see how things develop but I think it’s safe to say Gotze would be an excellent signing for any of Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool if they were able to win the race for his signature this summer.