Report: Hansi Flick contacts West Ham target, wants him at Bayern Munich

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Hansi Flick has held talks with reported West Ham United target Mario Gotze to ask whether he’d be willing to return to Bayern Munich, according to Sport BILD.

Speaking last week, the hero of Germany’s 2014 World Cup win admitted he still dreams of Champions League glory.

And if Gotze is serious about thrusting ‘old big ears’ into the summer sky, you’d imagine he would jump at the chance to rejoin a Bayern side that conquered the continent by beating Paris Saint-Germain in Lisbon last month.

However, it has been said Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic aren’t convinced over the prospect of bringing back an injury-prone 28-year-old – even if Gotze is a free agent.

Then again, Flick has plenty of trust in the bank at the Allianz Arena.

Not only did Niko Kovac’s former assistant guide Bayern to a stunning treble last term, he has got them playing the kind of ruthless, awe-inspiring attacking football reminiscent of the peak years of Pep Guardiola.

Furthermore, Flick’s wonderful man-management skills have breathed fresh life into the previously stuttering careers of Jerome Boateng and Thomas Muller.

The latter broke the all-time Bundesliga assist record in 2019/20.

The manager with the Midas touch may be the right coach at the right time for Gotze, an attacking midfielder who has gone from ‘generational talent’ to struggler after a couple of underwhelming years in Munich and Dortmund.

The Express reported in April that West Ham were interested too.

But Gotze wants Champions League glory and a coach who can offer him a return to the elite. With all due respect to David Moyes and West Ham, they are unlikely to be playing at Europe’s top table any time soon.