Mario Gotze will not remain at Borussia Dortmund after his contract expires at the end of the season, confirms the club’s sporting director Michael Zorc.
The 27-year-old in his second stint at the club and has made 20 appearances in all competitions this season.
Though he has only clocked up a total of 504 minutes on the pitch – the equivalent of five full games – as his influence predominantly came from the bench.
Zorc insists the decision was mutual as he stated: “We will part ways with Mario Götze this summer. It was a mutual and respectful decision. Mario is a great man.”
Gotze came through the youth system at Dortmund and impressed during his first stint in the first team.
He was then snapped up by Pep Guardiola at rivals Bayern Munich in 2013 and went on to win Bundesliga titles during his three years at the Allianz Arena.
Gotze, who scored the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final against Argentina, then re-signed for Dortmund in the summer of 2016 but struggled to rediscovered his form after suffering a metabolic illness early in 2017.
The arrival of Erling Haaland from Red Bull Salzburg earlier this year also saw the 27-year-old’s fall further down the pecking order.
The 19-year-old Norwegian striker signed for around €20 million (£17 million) and has excelled from the moment he stepped foot in Signal Iduna Park.
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