Wenger and Ferguson to Bide Time in Hunt for Coveted Playmaker

Mario Götze looks set to honour his contract with Borussia Dortmund despite rumoured interest from some of Europe's elite clubs.

A host of Europe's leading clubs including Premier League rivals Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have all been dealt a blow in their alleged pursuits of Borussia Dortmund sensation Mario Götze, after the youngster's agent signalled their intentions to honour his current deal.

The 19-year-old playmaker is the most prominently gifted product off the Bundesliga's seemingly endless line of talented youngsters, which in recent years has produced the likes of Nuri Sahin, Mesut Ozil and Thomas Mueller amongst many others.

Whilst some have tenuously dubbed the Memmingen born starlet the 'German Messi', Götze's remarkable rise to prominence has not gone unnoticed by some of the continent's biggest clubs.

Alongside the Japanese international Shinji Kagawa, Götze swiftly emerged as the creative catalyst that drove Dortmund to their first Bundesliga title in a decade last season, and he has since established himself as the shining light in Joachim Löw's ludicrously talented Germany squad.

Highly imaginative and a with footballing vision that enables him to operate "between the lines"; Götze's impressive array of skills and lateral movement has made him one of the most sought after young footballers in world football.

Bayern Munich have been perpetually linked with the pint-sized playmaker, while scouts from Real Madrid and Barcelona have regularly marvelled at Götze's performances, most notably when he was the architect of Germany's 3-2 victory over Brazil in August.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was rumoured to be considering a move for the player once it became apparent Samir Nasir was hankering for a move in the summer. The Frenchman allegedly made tentative enquiries for a player that would certainly suit Wenger's well documented youthful transfer ideal, and the Daily Mirror recently suggested further endeavours would be made in January.

Likewise Wenger's perennial Premier League rival Sir Alex Ferguson had considered the 19-year-old as a possible replacement for Manchester United hero Paul Scholes. The Scot's pursuit of Wesley Sneijder would suggest United could more than accommodate Götze given Ferguson's recent deployment of Wayne Rooney in a similar role.

The German starlet hinted earlier in the week that his future at Borussia Dortmund would depend on the club's ability to satisfy his insatiable desire to play Champions League football, even though he acknowledged it would be very difficult to leave The Borussians.

"It is true that I have made a plan with my player agent Volker Struth," Gotze told Sport-BILD weekly.

"Due to this plan I need to be playing regular UEFA Champions League football in the future.

"I am under contract with Borussia Dortmund. I am not in a position to rule out anything with regard to my future.

"I would need to enjoy my spell at another club in the same way as I enjoy my life at Borussia Dortmund. This is what I would need to be sure of.

"Actually, I think no other club could offer me the same feelings as Borussia Dortmund."

Despite Gotze's thinly veiled flirtations with some of Europe's leading clubs, the prodigiously gifted German playmaker's agent claims his immediate future remained at the Signal Iduna Park Stadium.

"Mario's statements refer to the distant future," Struth told Der Spiegel. "For us it means that when he eventually does move, he will only go to a club who play in the Champions League.

"We will have no talks [with other clubs]. Mario has a contract until 2014 and wants to honour it. There are no discussions with other clubs, not even with Bayern Munich."

Echoing Struth's sentiments regarding their prized asset's coveted future, the defending Bundesliga Champions CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, reiterated their desire to retain him for the foreseeable future.

"We always had the impression that Mario was happy with us," Watzke confirmed to Sport-BILD weekly.

"If that might no longer be the case by 2012, we will have to talk with Mario to find out if there is a change in his attitude."