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It would be an understatement to say that Dortmund have been busy this Summer. Six new signings have already come into the club, and two more may be about to join them...including a familiar face.
Kicker is reporting that it is "highly probable" that BVB will sign Mario Götze and Andre Schürrle. They also report that a five-year-deal has already been agreed with Schürrle. The story isn't online yet, but this is being reported, by trusted Dortmund Twitter accounts, from physical versions of Kicker.
What Kicker actually say: BVB want to sign Götze in addition to Schürrle (who they agreed a 5-year-deal with) and that might not be it.
— (((Luca Gierl))) (@LucaGierl) July 13, 2016
The return of Mario Götze will undoubtedly be a controversial one. Of course we all remember Götze leaving three seasons ago for Bayern after his €37 million release clause was activated. His time at Bayern has been riddled with injury and a lack of playing time. New manager Carlo Ancelotti and the other higher-ups at FCB have made it clear they don't want Götze, so he should be returning for a relatively smaller fee than the €37 million he went for in 2013.
Some BVB fans made it clear this past season just how much they didn't want to see Götze return to the Westfalenstadion.
This month vs Bremen, Dortmund fans had a banner: "Milan or Madrid – Just not Dortmund. Piss off Gotze." pic.twitter.com/DPjKRNG3s0
— The30Duke (@DukeLFC) April 26, 2016
But like him or not, this move would fill a need for Thomas Tuchel's side. The departure of Ilkay Gundogan left an opening in the midfield, and it's definitely smart to have Götze in the running for that spot alongside Sebastian Rode and Mikel Merino. Rode isn't anywhere near the talent that Götze is, and Merino is unproven in the Bundesliga.
If Mario can avoid injury and get back into his best playing shape, then I really can't imagine anything other than him dominating Germany once again.
Schürrle will be the afterthought of this deal originally, but he could also be a valuable pickup. Yes we want to see playing time for youngsters like Christian Pulisic, Ousmane Dembele, and Emre Mor, but it's important that BVB have a veteran option on the wing as well. And his transfer fee from Wolfsburg shouldn't be astronomical.
We don't have the numbers yet, and this is still just a report, but these looks like good deals. Let's just hope our fans can find it in their hearts to forgive Mario Götze.