Manchester United Transfer News: Mats Hummels' Father Fuels Dortmund Exit Talk

The father of Borussia Dortmund star Mats Hummels has thrown even more fuel on the transfer speculation surrounding his son, suggesting the Manchester United target could return to Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich.

Hummels himself set off a new round of transfer rumours after the 3-0 win over Hertha BSC on Wednesday, telling Sky Sports (h/t DW Sports) he’s losing sleep over the difficult decision he faces at the end of this season:

Per Kevin Palmer of the Sunday World, Premier League clubs Chelsea, Arsenal and United are all interested in bringing the Germany international to England, but Hermann Hummels, his father, highlighted Bayern as a possible destination, per Bild:

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Mats is facing a tremendously important decision in his career, in his life, similar to a woman who is 30 and has to decide now or never having children.

Dortmund is back among the top clubs in Europe, so the decision is so hard for him. If he should leave Dortmund yet, then he goes to one of the five or six top clubs and to these clubs is one course of Bayern (Munich).

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The 27-year-old spent the bulk of his youth with the Bavarians before moving to BVB on loan in 2008. He joined Die Schwarzgelben on a permanent basis a year later.

According to Clark Whitney of Bleacher Report, he previously told reporters he no longer cares for the Bavarians:

Hummels has become one of Dortmund’s top stars during his time at the Signal Iduna Park, establishing himself as the prototypical modern centre-back. He’s a remarkably gifted passer with incredible range and athletic ability, as well as a superb aerial threat.

He prefers to take a patient approach to defending and not dive into tackles, and when he does engage opponents, he relies more on his vision and positioning than brute strength.

Here’s a look at his some of his highlights:

Per Transfermarkt.com, injuries have been a concern of late, as Hummels has missed plenty of time with a series of knocks. When healthy, he hasn’t consistently looked great, and the form that made him a star at the 2014 FIFA World Cup has eluded him more often than not in the past two years.

But when he’s healthy and in-form, Hummels is a world-class defender who would walk into most starting XIs. There’s a reason so many clubs are linked with the German, and if he does decide to leave Dortmund, expect plenty of suitors to emerge.

According to Alex Chaffer of DW Sports, a realistic chance of winning the UEFA Champions League will be a big factor in his choice of clubs:

Hummels and Dortmund have spent the last two seasons living in the shadow of Bayern, who cruised to the Bundesliga title last year and are on the verge of winning it again. In Europe, the Bavarians have also looked dominant, and they’re among the favourites to win the Champions League later this season.

That would give the Rekordmeister a major advantage in transfer negotiations. Plenty of players have made the switch from Dortmund to Munich in the last few seasons, and at the Allianz Arena, Hummels would team up with a number of friendly faces, including Robert Lewandowski.

ODD ANDERSEN/Getty Images

Unlike the Poland international and Mario Gotze, Hummels seems to deeply care for Dortmund, and he may decide against breaking the fans’ hearts once more. A lucrative move to the Premier League would be another option, and at the age of 27, now would be the perfect time.

But the likes of United, Chelsea and Arsenal don’t seem to be any closer to winning the Champions League than Dortmund are. And with La Liga giants Barcelona reportedly interested, a switch to the Camp Nou might be the most enticing option, per Bild (h/t the Daily Star’s James Walters).

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