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Gotze to Tottenham: Pochettino blow amid rival approach for German star's signature - report
By London correspondent Tony Hughes
Tottenham have slipped behind Borussia Dortmund in the race to sign Mario Gotze, according to a report.
The Mirror claim the German giants are in pole position to re-sign the Euro 2016 sensation three years after he quit for Bayern Munich.
As reported by Football Insider, Tottenham have twice met with the father of Gotze in recent weeks to talk about a potential transfer to White Hart Lane.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino is in the market for an inventive attacking midfielder to strengthen his squad ahead of the new season.
Speculation has linked the 24-year-old with a move to Liverpool, which would see the World Cup winner work with manager Jurgen Klopp for a second time.
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But the Mirror report that Gotze’s former club Dortmund are now the favourites to land Gotze after Bayern made it clear that they are willing to offload him this summer.
The German international has had a difficult season at the Allianz Arena, after severely injuring his hamstring, which ruled him out for six months between October 2015 and March 2016.
The former Dortmund playmaker soldiered on to make 14 Bundesliga appearances for the German Champions, but has refused to sign a new deal with just 12 months remaining on his current contract.
Bayern are looking to cash in on Gotze and have made him available at a cut-price £20million according to The Independent.
Since joining Bayern in 2013, Gotze has scored 33 goals in 107 appearances in all competitions but has struggled to make a major impact and his time at the Allianz appears to be coming to an end.
The lure of Champions League football, and the new TV rights deal which would allow Spurs to tempt Gotze with a huge pay packet could entice him enough to sign for the North London side.
Spurs are on the cusp of signing AZ Alkmaar striker Vincent Janssen, and have signed Victor Wanyama from Southampton for a reported £12million.
In other Tottenham transfer news, Inter Milan have lined up a sensational offer for a Spurs regular and have offered a player in exchange.