mr_herres
22-11-2011, 18:56
Wenger praises Goetze as he leaves the door open to £30m move for Dortmund
Arsene Wenger has refused to rule out a move for Borussia Dortmund star Mario Goetze.
The Arsenal boss welcomes the German champions to Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night for their penultimate Champions League group stage game, knowing a win will secure passage to the knockout stage.
Wenger is all too aware of the threat posed by Dortmund having fought hard to secure a 1-1 draw in the group stage's opening rubber in September.
Chief to the Frenchman's concerns is Goetze, the creative genius behind a young, vibrant Bundesliga outfit, who Sportsmail revealed will cost the Gunners £30million if they are to pry him away in January.
The 19-year-old scored the winner at Bayern Munich on Saturday and continues to attract attention all over the continent.
Wenger, though, insisted: 'We have a big squad and we are not after anybody. Goetze is a very good player. I can understand there is a lot of interest in him around Europe.
'On our side, I do not think this is the best time to talk about it. We play against Dortmund tomorrow and we must concentrate on the game, not transfers.'
Should Arsenal meet the asking price, it would shatter the club's record transfer which currently stands at £15m, the price paid to Zenit St Petersburg for Andrey Arshavin in 2009.
Arsenal sent two scouts to watch Goetze against Bayern Munich, and chief executive Ivan Gazidis, together with key negotiator Richard Law, will discuss the club’s interest in Goetze with Dortmund officials this week.
[video=youtube;BH8K4kKNGL0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH8K4kKNGL0[/video]
Arsene Wenger has refused to rule out a move for Borussia Dortmund star Mario Goetze.
The Arsenal boss welcomes the German champions to Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night for their penultimate Champions League group stage game, knowing a win will secure passage to the knockout stage.
Wenger is all too aware of the threat posed by Dortmund having fought hard to secure a 1-1 draw in the group stage's opening rubber in September.
Chief to the Frenchman's concerns is Goetze, the creative genius behind a young, vibrant Bundesliga outfit, who Sportsmail revealed will cost the Gunners £30million if they are to pry him away in January.
The 19-year-old scored the winner at Bayern Munich on Saturday and continues to attract attention all over the continent.
Wenger, though, insisted: 'We have a big squad and we are not after anybody. Goetze is a very good player. I can understand there is a lot of interest in him around Europe.
'On our side, I do not think this is the best time to talk about it. We play against Dortmund tomorrow and we must concentrate on the game, not transfers.'
Should Arsenal meet the asking price, it would shatter the club's record transfer which currently stands at £15m, the price paid to Zenit St Petersburg for Andrey Arshavin in 2009.
Arsenal sent two scouts to watch Goetze against Bayern Munich, and chief executive Ivan Gazidis, together with key negotiator Richard Law, will discuss the club’s interest in Goetze with Dortmund officials this week.
[video=youtube;BH8K4kKNGL0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH8K4kKNGL0[/video]