The Prodigal Son has returned home.
Mario Gotze has re-signed with Borussia Dortmund, on a reported four-year contract, three years after leaving the club to join rivals Bayern Munich.
The 24-year-old, who scored the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup Final, left Jurgen Klopp's side in 2013, after helping the side to two Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012. He also won the German Cup in 2012, but missed the Champions League final the following year as Dortmund lost Bayer Munich in Wembley.
Gotze became the most-expensive player in a transfer between two German clubs when the Bavarian giants bought him for €37million, but he failed to force his way into Pep Guardiola's team on a permanent basis.
Borussia Dortmund verpflichtet @MarioGoetze. Mehr Infos folgen. pic.twitter.com/Xs84TClWi6
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) July 21, 2016
Despite the lack of playing time, near the end of his spell in Munich, Gotze enjoyed a successful spell with the Bavarian side, winning the Bundesliga titles in a row.
His move is the third transfer of the summer between the two sides, with defender Mats Hummels going to Munich and Sebastian Rode coming the opposite direction.
Borussia Dortmund have lost some key players this summer, including Hummels and Ilkay Gundogan and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Manchester City and United respectively, so Gotze's move will be seen as a massive boost.
Thomas Tuchel's side are currently in China where they will play both Manchester sides as part of their pre-season tour.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
