New Bayern boss could keep unsettled striker.New Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola hinted at his opening press conference that unsettled striker Mario Gomez could remain at the club this summer, according to Football Italia.
Gomez has earned a reputation as one of the world’s deadliest finisher in recent years, scoring an incredible 41 goals in the 2011/12 season for Bayern before shining for the German national team at Euro 2012. However, he surprisingly found himself out of the first-team at Bayern for much of their treble-winning season, with former manager Jupp Heynckes favouring Croatian forward Mario Mandzukic.
Despite not being a regular starter, Gomez actually out-scored Mandzukic, and may still have a future at Bayern despite rumours linking him with several clubs in Italy, most notably Napoli and Fiorentina.
A number of Premier League clubs are also said to be monitoring his situation, including Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham, and although Bayern have been linked with the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Luis Suarez as potential signings upfront this summer, Guardiola insists that at the moment Gomez is very much a Bayern Munich player.
“Gomez belongs to us,” he said. “He is a Bayern player right now and I’ll treat him like one.”
Guardiola’s words may be influenced by the struggle to land Lewandowski, as Borussia Dortmund are determined not to sell another star player after Mario Goetze to their rivals, and have reportedly blocked a move for the Polish striker to the Allianz Arena.