Mario Gotze's long-term future with Bayern Munich could be in doubt after sporting director Matthias Sammer admitted the club will hold talks with the midfielder.
The German international has recently been linked with a move to Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp, who he played for previously at Borussia Dortmund.
Sammer rejected those rumours when they first surfaced but Gotze later said he would have to consider his future if he continued to spend so much time on the substitutes bench.
The 23-year-old has made only seven Bundesliga appearances for Bayern off the bench this season, with manager Pep Guardiola preferring to use him as an impact player instead.
Carlo Ancelotti will replace Guardiola at the end of the campaign but whether he will have Gotze - who is currently recovering from a hamstring injury - to work with remains to be seen.
Sammer is adamant the man who scored Germany's winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final against Argentina will not leave the Allianz Arena in the January transfer window.
He intends to have discussions with Gotze, who has 18 months left on his current deal, in order to resolve any uncertainty about where he will play beyond the summer.
Sammer said: "I said it was madness when there were rumours about a transfer in January, whereas Mario was talking about the end of the season.
"Mario's comments were an indication that we will have to sit down at some point in the coming months and discuss his situation.
"That is only logical. I cannot see anything negative about what Mario said. He has put a few things up for discussion.
"We will clarify everything in the second half of the season. A lot of things will have been resolved by then."