Mario Gotze makes a surprise Bayern Munich transfer claim

The World Cup winner has enjoyed an impressive start at PSV but revealed things could have turned out very differently this season.

Mario Gotze has claimed he could’ve returned to Bayern Munich for this season after talks with former president Uli Hoeness.

The 28-year-old ended a disappointing and injury-plagued second spell at Borussia Dortmund in the summer by signing for Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven on a free transfer.

He has since embarked on an impressive start to his Eredivisie career, providing three goals and two assists to help PSV go level on points with table-toppers Ajax in the league standings.

But a conservation with Hoeness in the summer could have resulted in Gotze returning to Bayern instead.

“In the summer we spoke openly about my future, about Bayern’s plans,” the German told Bild.

“They said that they value me as a person and a player and that they could have taken me back to Bayern again.

“Hansi [Flick] has as tight a schedule at Bayern as I do at PSV. He’s an excellent coach. To take over a team in the middle of the season and lead them to a treble is impressive.”

Gotze supplied 36 goals and 24 assists in 114 appearances for Bayern between 2013 and 2016. Regular injury problems, however, restricted his opportunities towards the end of his time at the club and ultimately led to his departure.

But while Gotze has since enjoyed a welcome change of fortune over in the Netherlands, he won’t rule out a return to his homeland.

He added: “I don’t want to rule out a return to the Bundesliga. Both options are conceivable for me. But now I’m in Eindhoven and I’m fully focused on our goals.”