[attach id=249442 size="medium"]Mario Goetze... last few games for Borussia Dortmund.[/attach]

Borussia Dortmund said they were hugely disappointed by the transfer of Mario Goetze, one of the jewels of their youth academy, to arch-rivals Bayern Munich after the season but said they would overcome the midfielder’s surprise departure.

The 20-year-old Goetze, who joined Dortmund as an eight-year-old, is regarded as one of the country’s most talented young players, has already won two Bundesliga titles and played 22 times for Germany.

Losing one of their leading players to Bayern is a bitter pill for Dortmund to swallow and comes as an unwanted distraction on the eve of their Champions League semi-final first leg at home to Spanish giants Real Madrid (see also page 43).

“I think there could have been a worse time to announce this – four hours before the game,” said Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp.

“I can say time does not heal all wounds but it helps the healing process. The reason we are all disappointed is because he is a great player and we would like to keep him.”

Goetze used a release clause to opt out of his contract.

“Mario Goetze and his agent informed Borussia Dortmund a few days ago that the player would like to trigger his release clause and move to Bayern Munich on July 1,” the club said yesterday.

Recently crowned champions Bayern confirmed the move in a “media explanation”, adding that they had intended to announce the signing after Dortmund had played this evening.

German media said Bayern would be paying around €37 million for Goetze which, if confirmed, would be the most ever spent on a German player.

Dortmund immediately appealed to their fans not to turn against attacking midfielder Goetze as they chase Champions League glory.

“Together with coach Juergen Klopp, sporting director Michael Zorc asks all Dortmund fans to unconditionally support Mario Goetze in the last games of the season, especially in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, just as they would any other Dortmund professional,” the statement said.