Free agent Mario Gotze could be offered surprise return to Bayern Munich

We're sure Dortmund fans will be completely understanding about this happening for a second time...

Mario Gotze could be set for his second stint as a Bayern Munich player - weeks after leaving Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund for a second time. Gotze, scorer of the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final, first made is name as a teenager at Dortmund after progressing through the club's youth academy. He left the club in controversial circumstances in 2013, becoming one of Pep Guardiola's first signings at Bayern after the two Bundesliga rivals contested the Champions League final. The move prompted a furious response from Dortmund supporters. After three seasons in Bavaria, Gotze returned to Signal Iduna Park in 2016. Blighted by injury problems and a a metabolic disorder which threatened his entire career, life back in Dortmund was far from straightforward for Gotze and it was announced earlier in the year that a mutual agreement had been reached with the club that he would leave for a second time. At the time, it was expected Gotze would leave German football entirely, but a move abroad has thus far failed to materialise. Now, reports from Germany suggest an unlikely return to Bayern may be on the cards. Bild claim Hansi Flick, who has worked with Gotze before with the German national team, is said to be weighing up the possibility of signing the player. After winning the Champions League in the summer, Bayern have only added Leroy Sane to their squad. Thiago Alcantara's move to Liverpool and the expiration of loan deals for Philippe Coutinho and Ivan Perisic leaves them light of numbers. Ahead of a busy schedule of fixtures, Gotze is seen as a low-risk option to bolster their ranks. Flick is understood to have called the player at least once to discuss the possibility of a return to the Allianz Arena. Gotze - still only 28 years of age - intends to join a club where he can win a Champions League title.

'The financial aspect only plays a subordinate role for me,' he told BILD recently.

'The decisive and really important factors are the athletes. I have ambitious goals and I really want to win the Champions League.'

Bild also report that he has already turned down a lucrative offer to play in Major League Soccer.