Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has accused Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich of wanting all of his club’s players.
The Bavarians persuaded Mario Gotze to leave Signal Iduna Park last year after meeting the attacking midfielder’s €37 million buy-out clause, while they lured Robert Lewandowski to the Allianz Arena on a free transfer this summer following the expiration of the striker’s contract with BVB.
Bayern are now openly discussing a move for Dortmund attacker Marco Reus, much to the fury of Watzke, who freely admits that his club simply cannot compete financially with Europe’s elite clubs.
“There are players here at Dortmund who are happy to play for 20 per cent less money,” he is quoted as saying by TZ. “But that’s not the case when we’re talking about 50 per cent less money.
“And that’s where Real Madrid and Bayern Munich enter the fray. It’s like they [Bayern] want all of our players …”
Indeed, Watzke admitted that he does not see eye-to-eye with Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who publicly discussed Reus’ contractual situation during the summer.
“Our frosty relationship is real,” the BVB chief confessed. “There are people out there who I feel more positive about …
“The world doesn’t need Watzke and Rummenigge to be friends, though. Nobody will die over it.”
Rummenigge claimed that Reus’ buy-out clause will drop from €35 million to €25m at the end of the current campaign, while he further riled Watzke earlier this week by admitting that Bayern are “obliged” to consider a move for the Germany international.
Source: Goal