Götze heading to Bayern Munich
April 23, 2013
Although Götze is signed with Borussia Dortmund until 2016, his contract allowed him to leave the club this summer for a fee of 37 million euros ($48 million), a sum that Bayern Munich was apparently willing to pay.
The mass circulation newspaper Bild was the first to report the story early on Tuesday in an exclusive on its website. Later in the day this was confirmed by both clubs: Götze will begin his contract with Bayern on July 1.
"We are of course terribly disappointed, but we want to stress that Mario and his advisor did not breach our contract," Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said in a statement on the club's website.
The 20-year-old Germany international is widely regarded as one of football's biggest talents in Europe. The midfielder made his debut Germany aged 18 in November 2011. He was the youngest new cap for the national side since 1954.
The transfer marks Bayern's second major coup of the year after bringing former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola on board for the 2013-2014 season, replacing current coach Jupp Heynckes.
Reports of Götze's transfer come as both Dortmund and Bayern gear up for the Champions League semi-final this week. Bayern faces off against Barcelona on Tuesday, while Dortmund will play against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
slk, rg/ccp (dpa, SID)