Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has revealed that incoming boss Pep Guardiola was interested in signing Brazilian youngster Neymar.
The 21-year-old, widely regarded as the best young talent in world football, will join Barcelona at the end of the season after deciding to end his career with Santos.
However, Hoeness has suggested that Guardiola was keen to bring the attacker to the Allianz Arena.
"Guardiola had certain ideas to bring in a young Brazilian player," said Hoeness at an IDG Communications Media AG gathering.
"But we have had a number of bad experiences with young Brazilians in the past. We all know what happened with Breno. So we started looking for a similar player and eventually signed Mario Gotze."
Gotze is believed to have cost in the region of £32m.