World Cup winner Goetze to leave Dortmund at end of season

Germany's Mario Goetze kisses the World Cup trophy as he celebrates their 2014 World Cup final win against Argentina at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro July 13, 2014. [REUTERS/Darren Staples]

German World Cup-winning midfielder Mario Goetze will leave Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season, the club's sports director Michael Zorc said on Saturday.

Speaking to Sky television before the game at VfL Wolfsburg, Zorc confirmed that Goetze would be leaving after the season.

"This week I had a long and clarifying discussion with Mario," he said. "We agreed that we will not continue our collaboration after this season."

Goetze, who scored the winning goal for Germany in the 2014 World Cup final victory over Argentina, is a product of Dortmund's youth academy.

The 27-year-old played there until 2013, when he switched to league rivals Bayern Munich. He returned to the Ruhr valley club in 2016 but has not managed to claim back a regular starting spot.

Current coach Lucien Favre said this week Goetze was not a starting option in the 3-4-3 system he was playing.