The 20-year-old playmaker is to move to the Allianz Arena, with die Roten having agreed to meet the Germany international’s €37 million buy-out clause
Thomas Muller has admitted that Borussia Dortmund starlet Mario Gotze joining Bayern Munich this summer has added extra spice to this month’s Champions League final.
The news that the attacking midfielder would be swapping Signal Iduna Park for the Allianz Arena would have intensified the rivalry between the two Bundesliga giants anyway, but the manner and timing of the announcement of the deal upset BVB greatly, given the news broke just before the first leg of their last-four encounter with Real Madrid.
Consequently, Muller feels that the Gotze transfer has made Bayern’s May 25 meeting with Dortmund at Wembley all the more interesting.
“I like Mario Gotze,” the 23-year-old told reporters on Tuesday. “I’m glad he’s coming to Bayern and it’ll add that bit more spice to the final.
“There is a lot of spice in this game and I like spice. I like that we play against Dortmund because there is even more passion in there.”
Muller knows, though, that the pressure is very much on Bayern, given they were upset by Chelsea in last year’s tournament decider – despite having had the advantage of playing at the Allianz Arena.
“It is about time we won this thing,” the Germany international acknowledged. “If we lost again we would have a loser’s tag on ourselves and it would not be an injustice.
“But, in truth, last year’s final or the one three years ago [against Inter] have nothing to do with this one. Except there are some players that were there, too.
“Of course it would have been amazing last year. But we are even stronger away from home this year and that makes me optimistic.”
Bayern beat Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate to progress to the final, while Dortmund beat Madrid 4-3 over two legs.