Mario Götze Reportedly Wants Liverpool Move

There has been much chatter during the international break, linking Liverpool with moves for a variety of German players. The summer transfer window is not too far away, and with Jürgen Klopp in charge, there will be some intriguing and potentially exciting additions for passionate Reds to feast on. Will Mario Götze be among them?

He was believed to be Liverpool's top summer target in a plan that was concocted months ago, texts were shared with Jürgen Klopp, and his national team colleagues have been discussing his future. It seems, however, that there is more to this than mere rumour mongering after reliable journalists from the Express (Paul Joyce) and the Guardian (Andy Hunter) have confirmed that Liverpool are confident of tying up a deal for Mario Götze this summer.

The 23-year-old is believed to want a reunion with a manager who understood, trusted, and harnessed his talents at Borussia Dortmund. The lack of playing time and a contract that expires in 2017 have reportedly given Liverpool confidence in sealing a cut-price fee between £15 million to £20 million. Bayern Munich might want to recoup as much of the £31.5 million paid to secure Götze's services, but that appears to be unlikely. Interest has been registered for the player with personal terms expected to swell any financial commitment to bringing Götze to Anfield.

Carlo Ancelotti's arrival isn't expected to change anything as the player is quietly doing a Dejan Lovren. Klopp's reputation in Germany makes him a key figure in moves for compatriots or players with a connection to the Bundesliga, which Liverpool look set to benefit from during the 48-year-old's time on Merseyside. Joël Matip is en route from Schalke 04, Marc-André ter Stegen is heavily linked as the solution to inconsistency in goal, and Jonas Hector could finally provide genuine competition at left-back.

Mario Götze's final season under Klopp and first under Pep Guardiola are littered with performances that show a player capable of ghosting past players with deceptive acceleration and imoressive agility, creating chances, finishing reliably, putting in a couple of tackles, and just providing a direct, intelligent threat. His injury record is a concern, but the World Cup winner averaged around 2000 league minutes in the three seasons prior to the 2015/16 season. Götze played an average of 46 games in all competitions during that time, scoring in just over a third of them.

The prospect of signing Roberto Firmino and Mario Götze in successive summers with Jürgen Klopp waiting to get all the players together in his first pre-season at Liverpool is a thrilling prospect. Even more arresting is the thought of three 24-year-olds in Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, and Mario Götze buzzing around in Liverpool's attack. If Liverpool can pull this transfer off, the journey from doubters to believers could be close to completion.