Gotze reveals he could have returned to Bayern Munich but says he's loving football again at PSV

Mario Gotze says he could have returned to Bayern Munich over the summer, but he is enjoying his time in the Eredivisie with PSV.

The 28-year-old, who spent three seasons at Bayern between 2013 and 2016, joined PSV from Borussia Dortmund on a two-year deal in the summer.

Gotze had struggled to recapture the highs from his first spell at Dortmund, when he won back-to-back Bundesliga titles under Jurgen Klopp.

Now, he has told Bild that his satisfaction with football is ‘on the way back to 10’.

“You can tell that pretty easily from my playing time,” Gotze said. “In January, it was a two. Now it’s a nine, and on the way to 10.

“On the one hand, because I am playing almost every game. And on the other hand, because we are doing very well in every competition. This combination gives me a very good feeling.”

PSV are second in the Eredivisie going into the winter break, level on points with leaders Ajax having played a game more. Their first game back in January is a trip to Ajax, while they also have a Europa League clash with Olympiacos to look forward to after finishing top of their group ahead of Granada, PAOK and AC Omonia.

But things could have been different for Gotze, who was in contact with Bayern’s former president Uli Hoeness.

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

However, Gotze could still return to the Bundesliga in the future.

“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.”

PSV have won 11, drawn two and lost one of their 14 Eredivisie games so far this season. The defeat and one of the draws came in the only two games which Gotze has missed through injury.