Everton Set to Rival Premier League Sides for Mario Gotze
By Tom Power
Toffees one of five clubs interested in prising Borussia Dortmund & Germany Star Away From Westfalenstadion
Everton could do battle with Arsenal and West Ham United this summer in an attempt to land Borussia Dortmund’s Mario Gotze.
Sky Sports has reported that the Toffees want to enlist the services of the playmaker but face serious competition from two of their Premier League rivals for his signature.
Gotze would apparently be available for £22m – a fee which wouldn’t rule any of the trio out of pursuing him.
With French club Marseille and Spanish outfit Villarreal also in the hunt, however, it may prove tricky for the Blues to land Gotze if they truly are interested.
Gotze has failed to recapture the form of his previous spell at Dortmund after he completed a permanent switch back to Westfalenstadion two years ago.
The 26-year-old failed to continue to light up the Bundesliga after a big-money move to rivals Bayern Munich in the summer of 2013, and has struggled in his time back with Dortmund since.
A mystery illness hampered his first season back at Dortmund – an issue that restricted him to only 16 appearances in all competitions.
And whilst Gotze featured 32 times last term, he only managed to net twice and chalk up seven assists as Die Borussen finished fourth and a massive 29 points off league winners Bayern.
Gotze won the 2014 World Cup for Germany in Brazil four years ago, but he is not part of Joachim Low’s squad in Russia this time around due to his lack of form and fitness.
His absence from Low’s team would not result in protracted negotiations between his agent and any would-be suitor then, with Everton included in that contingent.
The Toffees do need attacking reinforcements to turn themselves back into a decent threat going forward after they only bagged 44 goals in 38 league matches last term.
Gotze could provide that bit of star quality to help the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Theo Walcott in providing the ammunition for the Toffees’ strikers to feed from.
However, the midfielder would arguably struggle to fit into Marco Silva’s preferred 4-3-3 system, with Sigurdsson and two others – a defensive midfielder and box-to-box roamer – expected to those positions.
If Gotze was willing to play on the left wing or adapt his game then he could prove to be a shrewd signing for Everton.
Next: Everton Linked With Toulouse Star Diop
With question marks over whether he’d join or fit into their formation though, this one may not be a goer.