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Nuri Sahin, Shinji Kagawa and Mario Götze all returned to Borussia Dortmund and it looks like another name might join that list. According to Bild Mats Hummels might be on his way back to the black and yellows. Shortly after Bild broke the news Ruhr Nachrichten confirmed BVB’s interest in Hummels and Sky reporter Torben Hoffmann went even further and tweeted the following:
Wir können die Infos bestätigen! @matshummels @FCBayern steht kurz vor einer Rückkehr zum @bvb
— Torben Hoffmann (@Sky_Torben) June 14, 2019
Die Verhandlungen sind sehr weit fortgeschritten! Unterschrift noch nicht erfolgt!@SkySportNewsHD @SkySportDE
We can confirm the information! Mats Hummels is close to a return to BVB. Negotiations are very far advanced! Nothing has been signed yet!
The initial Bild report claims Bayern Munich’s coach Niko Kovac wouldn’t oppose selling Hummels. Borussia Dortmund would like to have him back but the centerback would have to take a paycut on his current 12€ million per year salary.
All three outlets have vastly different information when it comes to the transfer fee, while Bild speak of an amount between 15-20€ million, Ruhr Nachrichten (25€ mil.) and Sky (30€ mil.) are significantly higher. Yet all three of them seem adamant that both sides are in “concrete talks”.
This would be a shocking turn of events and a very precarious situation given the circumstances in which Hummels left Dortmund in 2016. The 30-year-old was not only one of BVB’s best players back then but also the team captain but he still chose to join Dortmund’s bitter rival.
From a sporting perspective this would certainly make sense, he’s exactly what Dortmund are looking for, an experienced centerback that can help the young players and provide stability but he could also be a major distraction considering the almost certain backlash from the fans.