Stuttgart striker attracting Premier League interest
Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez is reported to be set to leave the Bundesliga club in the summer, with a host of high-profile European clubs in line to snap up the German international.
The 23-year-old has bagged over 50 league goals for, former Liverpool defender, Markus Babbel's side since making his first-team debut in 2004.
And in 2007, his goals helped Stuttgart win the Bundesliga title and reach the German Cup final, leading him to be named German Footballer of the Year.
But a disappointing showing at last summer's European Championships, where Gomez failed to impress - nor score - despite Germany going on to reach the final, clubs including Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona are believed to be plotting summer moves for the front-man.
Sport Bild claims scouts have been sent from each club in recent weeks to monitor the striker's progress, with Gomez hitting 24 goals in 31 matches so far this season.
And although Gomez has a contract at the Mercedes-Benz Arena until 2012, there is a buy-out clause in the region of €30 million, a figure that, Stuttgart's general manager, Horst Heldt believes might persuade them to offload their prized asset.
“We hope that he plays with us for a long time," he said. "But eventually, we have to refinance our operations in the football league.
While the player himself says he is not interested in speculation surrounding a possible move in the summer, and is focussed only on finishing the season in a positive manner with Stuttgart.
“At the moment, I’m not interested in this at all,” he told Sport Express. “We can say that it is not a topic for conversation.
“My focus now is on playing well for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga and the UEFA Cup. I do not know what will happen in the future. I am not interested.”
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.