English Premier League side Arsenal FC shunned Bundesliga squad Borussia Dortmund's Henrikh Mkhitaryan to target German champions Bayern Munich's Mario Götze instead, according to recent reports.
Caught Offside reported that the Gunners are willing to shell out up to £27 million just to sign Götze this summer as the 24-year-old World Cup-winning goalscorer's future in Bavaria is rumored to be uncertain.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had allegedly "abandoned" his pursuit of the Dortmund winger as rival Premier League squads Manchester United and Liverpool are also said to be eyeing the assist wizard and the team might overspend.
Wenger is now reportedly focusing on the Munich midfielder, who will cost much lower than Mkhitaryan following his lackluster season in the German top flight, as he is looking for someone to pair with Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez in the team's 4-2-3-1 formation.
Speculations were out that Bayern officials had talked with Götze, who is currently competing with the German national team in the ongoing 2016 Euro, about his place in the incoming squad of head coach Carlo Ancelotti and had said that things will not go favorably for him when it comes to playing in Der FCB's first team.
The former Juventus, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid manager had allegedly told Götze to find another team to secure his future playing time as the coach is unsure whether he could make it on top of Bayern's current pecking order up front with Thomas Müller, Robert Lewandowski, Douglas Costa, Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, and Kingsley Coman still the first choice strikers and wingers.
The Daily Star indicated, though, that Götze is keen on staying with the Bavarians even at the risk of not getting enough playing time again next season.
"I look forward to the new season in Munich and will do everything possible to be in top shape for my first training session under Carlo Ancelotti," the 5-foot-9 Memmingen, Germany native said.
Still, Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge gave him a warning if he wants to remain at the Allianz Arena, saying that he has to "evaluate" his status with the team and his plans for the future.
"He (Götze) knows what the club thinks and what the new coach thinks. Mario has to evaluate for himself whether he wants to play constantly," said Rummenigge.