Report: Bayern Munich defender Mats Hummels close to Borussia Dortmund return
Bayern Munich defender Mats Hummels is reportedly holding talks over a move back to his former club Borussia Dortmund.
The defensive woes of Bayern Munich were evident throughout the season. Die Roten conceded cheap goals in various Bundesliga games and dropped points in often after collapsing defensively. These consistent defensive woes also led to an early exit in the Champions League as they were knocked out by Liverpool in the round of 16.
Bayern have taken an aggressive approach to address these problems by signing two World Cup winners. The German club agreed a deal with VfB Stuttgart for Benjamin Pavard in January and completed the signing of Lucas Hernandez from Atletico Madrid in March. They will now focus on facilitating departures in the position after signing these two highly rated French defenders.
The futures of Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng look uncertain right now. It is likely that the Bundesliga champions will decide to sell at least one of the two players. Despite many believing Boateng would be the first out the exit door, recent reports in Germany indicate that Mats Hummels is close to his departure from Bayern Munich.
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According to Sport Bild, Borussia Dortmund are strongly interested in bringing Hummels back to the club this summer. The Bundesliga runners-up have already held talks with Die Roten regarding a potential transfer. This report insists that Niko Kovac has given the green light for this sale. Dortmund believes that Hummels is the exact type of player they need to win the Bundesliga next season.
This information from Sport Bild was also confirmed by Sky Sports. Sky further adds that the negotiations for Hummels are at an advanced stage and that the fee is in the region of €30 million.
Despite having to take a pay cut, Hummels could be keen to accept Dortmund’s offer as his gametime is likely to decrease next season due to the arrivals of Pavard and Hernandez.
Bayern signed Hummels from Dortmund in 2016. He has enjoyed a trophy-laden three years at the club, which included three Bundesliga titles and one DFB Pokal. The German struggled at the start of the season after a poor World Cup with Germany but eventually regained form in the final three months of the season.
Next. Bayern Munich CEO addresses summer transfer plans. dark
Hummels’ departure is unlikely to affect the future of Boateng. Kovac wanted to have three center-backs in the squad last summer, so he is likely to stick with the same mantra this summer. The club chiefs have already advised Boateng to look for a new club. It will be the start of a new era at Bayern next season as they are slowly replacing older players with younger ones, and this move represents another step toward that.