Mario Gotze will still be linked to a move to Liverpool after he has retired from the game.
The German’s name has never been too far away when it has come to discussing Jurgen Klopp’s transfer targets on Merseyside since his arrival at the club in 2015.
Gotze has been one of many Borussia Dortmund stars to flirt with an Anfield switch in the gossip columns purely on the basis of Klopp’s ties to the Bundesliga giants.
A reunion with his former boss has often been deemed a pathway to reigniting his career, with the playmaker having struggled for both fitness and consistency since first leaving Dortmund for Bayern Munich back in 2013.
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Hopes of rediscovering his form upon his return to the Westfalenstadion in 2016 subsequently failed to materialise as it was revealed in March the following year that he was suffering from metabolic disorder myopathy.
Ex-Dortmund defender Kevin Grosskreutz believes Gotze should seek a January transfer in aid of rebuilding his career and has identified Liverpool as an ideal destination.
“I’m very sorry for Mario Gotze at the moment, because stuff is written about him – and only him – every day,” Grosskreutz told Sky in Germany.
“Maybe it would be good for him to go abroad in the winter to find a bit more peace and bring his career back on track. Klopp knows him quite well, he would be a good fit for Liverpool.”
Kevin Grosskreutz on Mario Götze:
"Maybe it would be good for him to go abroad in the winter to find a bit more peace and bring his career back on track. Klopp knows him quite well, he would be a good fit for Liverpool"
Should Jurgen Klopp reunite with the German at Anfield? pic.twitter.com/xqpPrZwHbk
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) September 24, 2018
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Gotze has managed just two first-team appearances so far this season, neither of which have been in the Bundesliga.
It has proven to be a bizarre and disappointing downwards spiral for a man responsible for breaking Argentinian hearts with his winning goal in extra time of the 2014 World Cup final, and a man once widely-deemed as one of Europe’s most talented technicians.
Few could blame him for pursuing then-certified silverware with Bayern Munich, yet there is undoubtedly a hint of regret that will lie with him given the impact such a change had on his form.
Still only 26-years-old and having spent the entirety of his career in Germany, he may well be in dire need of new surroundings and a fresh style of play.
Would that mean Liverpool? Perhaps not, but there would likely be a host of top European sides queuing for his signature.