Michael Zorc: Jose Mourinho, Borussia Dortmund Rumours 'Without Any Substance'

Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has shot down reports linking Jose Mourinho with the club.

Mourinho was said to be under consideration by Dortmund if they part with current boss Lucien Favre:

However, Zorc told Sky Deutschland (h/t Goal's Chris Burton): "Those Mourinho rumours are without any substance. There is no discussion around our coach. We are delighted Lucien Favre is our coach."

Favre took charge of the side last year, and BVB missed out on the Bundesliga title by two points.

It was the closest they've been to Bayern since they last won the title in 2012, but Favre's side had led the race by nine points in December.

This season, Dortmund are fourth after eight games, level on points with Bayern and one off the top.

Sports journalist and broadcaster Lucy Zelic questioned the links with Mourinho when they emerged, but Ryan Taylor of the Express suggested he could be a good fit:

Mourinho, who has never managed in Germany, has won a total of eight league titles in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain.

He has also won the UEFA Champions League twice and the UEFA Europa League once, among many other honours.

However, since winning his third Premier League title with Chelsea in 2015, Mourinho's career has been in decline.

The 56-year-old was sacked by the Blues in December that year after losing nine of their first 16 matches in the 2015-16 season.

He joined Manchester United the following season, and although he won the Europa League and the League Cup in his second campaign, in which he also guided United to second with 81 points, the side's negative style of play was routinely criticised.

The negativity came to a head last season, and he was relieved of his duties in December after a poor start to the campaign.

While many clubs would likely be willing to overlook his recent decline given the volume of trophies he's delivered in his coaching career, Dortmund might also be concerned by his poor track record of developing young players.

With the likes of Jadon Sancho and Jacob Bruun Larsen in their ranks, the club would likely prefer a coach who will look to prioritise their growth as much as silverware.  

Mourinho isn't likely to be out of work for too long, but it seems Dortmund will not be a likely destination.