Manchester United target Mats Hummels has told kicker he is considering his Borussia Dortmund future.Hummels, who is under contract at Dortmund until 2017, has been linked with a move to the Premier League side.
Last week, the Daily Mail reported that United are ready to bid £36 million for the Germany international, and sources told ESPN FC that BVB are bracing themselves for offers and could be willing to sell.
Dortmund have said 26-year-old Hummels “is an incredibly important player for us, with whom we continue to plan,” but the club captain told kicker on Monday that he has not yet made up his mind on his future.
He said: “As matters stand, I think about what is good for me and what I want to do. Everyone knows that I very much like it here in Dortmund, but I also want us to have a powerful squad and a powerful approach.
“I have held many talks in recent weeks, which are relevant for me and which will form my general view. But I have not made a decision regarding my future. And even if I had, it does not necessarily mean that it can be turned into reality.”
Hummels, who struggled with injuries and for form in the first half of the season, continued: “It’s not like I’m now saying that I’ll leave no matter what. Whenever I make a decision, no matter which direction, I will openly talk about it.
“I am not a friend of those who superficially talk about staying put and secretly have already decided against it.”
When asked whether a move abroad generally is of interest for him, Hummels replied: “Often I think that I definitely want to do it, but then I have days when I think that I don’t need it. But fundamentally I believe that playing abroad is good for the footballing as well as the personal development.
“You can also see that when you’re with the national team, and so it’ll boil down to a switch abroad at some point. If I want to make the step, I would probably have to do it within the next two or three years.”
Hummels could join a number of players leaving the Westfalenstadion in the summer, following a season that will see the club miss out on Champions League qualification, according to BVB CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke.
“There will definitely not be a radical overhaul, this is part of our philosophy,” Watzke told kicker. “But without European football we’d have a few established [stars] too many in the squad.”
The newspaper named Ciro Immobile, Henrikh MKhitaryan and Dortmund-born Kevin Grosskreutz as potential candidates to leave the club in the summer.
“We want to have an ambitious squad next season,” Watzke added.