Arsenal have made first contact with Borussia Dortmund over the summer transfer of Mario Gotze, according to reports.

Rumours relayed by TribalFootball.com suggest Arsenal are now in talks over a move for the midfielder. The player himself is ‘confident’ he can recapture his form, and reportedly believes that a move to the Premier League would be the perfect way for him to do so.

Earlier this week, we brought you the news that Sky sources listed Arsenal as one of a number of teams considering a move for the Dortmund playmaker this summer. The report suggested the Bundesliga club want to recoup the ‘vast majority’ of the £22m fee they paid to bring the player back after his Bayern Munich move.

Next, further reports from England suggested Gotze would cost around £18m, and various outlets named Arsenal as ‘favourites’ for the signing. The Daily Star also wrote that West Ham, Everton and Leicester were interested in the transfer.

At this stage, Sky and the Mirror are the only two mainstream sources to weigh in on the possibility of a move to England. However, the longer this drags on, the more it starts to seem like there’s something in it.

Perhaps it’s just his agent trying to generate more interest, but at this stage I certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see Gotze leave Dortmund for one team or another this window.