Dusseldorf (DPA): German footballer Mats Hummels said on Thursday he has requested permission to leave Borussia Dortmund so he can transfer to FC Bayern Munich.
Hummels, whose contract with Borussia Dortmund was due to expire in 2017, said he wants to switch to the German top team for the upcoming season.
Borussia Dortmund management said any deal would hinge on the club receiving an “extremely generous” transfer fee appropriate for this “extraordinarily valuable player.”
The club said it had not yet received an offer from Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had confirmed earlier in the week that Hummels had been in talks with the Bundesliga leader, with Dortmund speculated to be expecting a minimum of 30 million euros (34 million dollars) for its star defender.
However Hummels may also be offered in an exchange for Bayern Munich’s Mario Goetze, who would transfer back to Dortmund.
Dortmund manager Hans-Joachim Watzke had previously said he would not prevent Hummels from being released to play for Bayern.
The 27-year-old made his name at Dortmund after failing to make it into the first team at Bayern, where he was a youth player.
Hummels signed for Dortmund in 2009 for a fee of 4.2 million euros (4.7 million dollars) after an 18-month loan period from Bayern, who in the past few seasons have signed Robert Lewandowski and Mario Goetze from Dortmund.
With Hummels’ contract expiring in 2017 along with those of teammates Ilkay Guendogan and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Dortmund must decide between selling the players this summer or risk losing them for nothing after next season if extensions are not agreed.
A transfer agreement between the two teams would leave only four Dortmund matches remaining for Hummels.
