Liverpool Transfer News: Mario Gotze, Ousmane Dembele Double Blow, Top Rumours

Liverpool have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Bayern Munich's Mario Gotze and Rennes' Ousmane Dembele with reports indicating the duo could be on their way to Borussia Dortmund this summer. 

Per German outlet Abendzeitung (via the Daily Star's Jamie Styles), 23-year-old Gotze has "met with his former club to discuss a sensational return" despite being linked with a reunion with manager Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.

Meanwhile, Dortmund have also reportedly "agreed a deal" worth €5 million (£4 million) to sign 18-year-old French sensation Dembele ahead of Liverpool, Bayern, Chelsea and Manchester City, per Sport Bild (via Sky Sports).

German Gotze established himself as a top star under Klopp at Dortmund before making a controversial 2013 move to rivals Bayern for €37 million (£31.5 million).

He has failed to advance at the Allianz Arena, though, remaining on the fringes of the first team under manager Pep Guardiola—he has made only eight league starts this season, per WhoScored.com—and his current contract with the Bundesliga giants expires in 2017.

A move to Liverpool for Gotze to work under Klopp again has been widely rumoured with the prevailing opinion being that the World Cup winner could re-find his best form with his old boss, per WhoScored's Ben McAleer:

However, given that Dortmund will be in the Champions League next season and Gotze is already familiar with the club, he could well opt to return to Signal Iduna Park instead of moving to Merseyside.

He has already proven that he is the perfect attacking player to fit into Klopp's system, and it will be a big blow for the Reds if he does choose to move elsewhere.

David Vincent/Associated Press

A snub from Dembele would also be potentially devastating for Liverpool as he has emerged as one of the top young attacking talents in Europe this term.

Able to play anywhere across the front three, Dembele has netted 12 goals and provided five assists in 22 Ligue 1 appearances in 2015-16, a quite remarkable return for such a young player, per WhoScored.

See below for a brief insight into what he is capable of:

In the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, Divock Origi and Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool already have a strong attacking unit.

But the addition of Gotze and/or Dembele could take Klopp's forward line to the next level as they look to compete for the Premier League, and give the German manager a multitude of options in how to set his front line up.

Missing out on one of them would be an inconvenience, but losing both to Dortmund would require a significant re-think of Liverpool's summer transfer strategy.