After reports in April 2020 suggested that Lazio were interested in signing Borussia Dortmund’s Mario Götze on a free transfer, given his contract expires in the upcoming summer, German sports newspaper Bild is now reporting that the German has rejected a proposal from the Biancocelesti.
Early reports suggested that Lazio was facing tough competition from the likes of Roma and Bayern Munich for Götze’s signature but now it is said that the German turned down offers from both Lazio and fierce-rivals Roma, unconvinced by the economic offers made by the Roman clubs.
Bild report that Götze is hesitant to accept any offers lower than his current salary of €8 million per season, keeping him out of reach of the two Serie A clubs. Furthermore, the newspaper now suggests that in addition to continued interest from Bayern Munich, Milan have now joined the race to sign the Dortmund midfielder, who is famous for scoring the winning goal in extra-time of the 2014 FIFA World Cup final for Germany against Argentina. Milan’s push for the midfielder is supported by the potential decision of the Rossoneri to sign German head coach Ralf Rangnick for the 2020/21 season.
Götze, who is a product of Dortmund’s youth academy, left the club in 2013 to join Bundesliga rivals Bayern, before returning to his former club in 2016, telling the press that he regretted his decision to join Bayern. Since his return to the Black and Yellows, the midfielder has played nearly 100 games in all competitions, scoring 14 goals.
If he had joined Lazio, he would have offered another creative outlet in the attacking midfield role, potentially playing as a vice-Correa, giving Inzaghi the possibility to rest the Argentine more and offer a more technical alternative to the skill and flair offered by Joaquin Correa.
