Borussia Dortmund to consider Mats Hummels sale as Manchester United lurk

Simon Foster 04:42 04/04/2015
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  • Central figure: Hummels’ time at Dortmund appears to be drawing to a close.

    Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke admits the club will consider offers for captain Mats Hummels this summer but has stressed there has been no bids for the German international defender as yet.

    Hummels’ future at the Westfalenstadion is looking increasingly uncertain with Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal an admirer and the 26-year-old reportedly telling team-mates this week a transfer to Old Trafford is almost complete.

    Hummels had previously said he would only leave Dortmund for a club overseas and a combination of BVB’s poor domestic season and the lure of the Premier League appears to have tempted the World Cup winner.

    “In this moment, this a total dummy discussion, because there is no offer. If one arrives, we will discuss it internally and make a decision. But this decision will only be taken by BVB,” Watzke said. “The situation at Dortmund is like this: We’ve lost one major player each year, but we don’t stop playing football.

    “To be clear: Mats knows his contractual situation, he described it in that interview himself. The decision where Mats will play next season will only be taken by BVB.”

    Dortmund allowed leading scorer Robert Lewandowski to sign for Bayern Munich last summer for free, 12 months after rejecting a €25 million (Dh100m) offer from the Bavarians as he entered the final year of his contract and Watzke says BVB again don’t need to sell.

    He added: “We’re not thinking on the short-term. You only do that if you need money and that is not the case with us.”

    One such player to have departed the club in recent years is Mario Gotze who is not expecting a warm welcome on his return in today’s Der Klassiker. Gotze has already lined up against his former team-mates once in Bayern colours, and his reception was not particularly a warm one from the 80,000 Dortmund fans.

    His second game there was in a Germany shirt, when he was better received, but he does not expect the home fans to have reviewed their opinions of a player whose move to their arch-rivals was announced just 24 hours before a Champions League semi-final two years ago.

    “I’m open to surprises, but I don’t think all that much will have changed,” he said. “But I can deal with that. I’ve experienced it a few times already so it’s normal.”

    Bayern are without injured trio Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and David Alaba.

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