In-depth: Hummels denies he's leaving Dortmund, blasts 's****y' statement. But is he off anyway?

Borussia Dortmund captain Mats Hummels has said a much-expected move to Bayern Munich was far from decided, and criticised a "dirty statement" issued by his club last week that said he wanted to move to the league rivals.

Last week Dortmund issued a statement claiming that the German World Cup winner - and club captain - had asked to leave and intended to join Bayern Munich this summer.

The news provoked rage among Dortmund fans, who have long been bitter over the steady stream of top players who have left them to join their arch-rivals - among them Robert Lewandowski and Mario Goetze.

But when quizzed about the upcoming move by fans at Dortmund's training ground, Hummels insisted that it is by no means certain that he will move on.

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"This s****y statement has made a misleading expression. I have no idea why they had to do it," Hummels reportedly said.

"Everything is possible and nothing is decided yet."

Mats Hummels - Borussia Dortmund

Image credit: AFP

That flies in the face of the message put out by Dortmund, which said that, "Defender Mats Hummels has communicated his desire to leave the club in the summer and join league rivals Bayern Munich next season."

BVB's statement did add that no bid had yet been made and that Hummels' contract has just over 12 months left to run.

But that caveat did nothing to mollify fans, who demonstrated their displeasure with a banner displayed at the weekend saying, "The captain is leaving the ship. The sooner the better."

DID FANS SHOOT THEMSELVES IN FOOT WITH ANGRY BANNER?

If it's true that Hummels has yet to decide whether or not he will leave Dortmund, he might be forgiven for taking another step or two towards the exit in the wake of that rather cruel banner displayed at Park Signal Iduna.

But Hummels himself did his very best to rise above it, saying afterwards that it was just a "small part of the fans" who were venting their fury.

SO WILL HUMMELS ACTUALLY GO?

The likelihood is that yes, he will. Rumours have been flying around for years that one of the most accomplished defenders in world football will head to a team that can offer him a huge pay rise.

And there was even talk last year that Manchester United's £37 million bid for the 27-year-old had been accepted.

In late 2014, Hummels had poo-pooed any such talk, saying that, "we earn enough here" and that his wife Cathy didn't want to uproot the family.

Mats Hummels, Cathy Fischer (Imago)

Image credit: Imago

Six months later, he embraced the idea in an interview with Kicker - though still admitted his ambivalence:

"Basically, I think moving abroad will be good for my professional and personal wellbeing. Eventually, I'd like to leave the Bundesliga...

"Some days I think I would definitely like to move abroad but then, other days, I think I don't fancy it at all.

"I will do what is best for my career and what I would like to do. Everyone knows how much I love it at Dortmund but I also want to make sure I'm part of a strong team with powerful players."

OUR VIEW

Given that the player himself seems to contradict himself repeatedly on this issue, I think we can safely assume that Dortmund's statement was probably written after a seemingly definitive decision from Hummels - one which the player then changed his mind about.

And who can blame him if he did change tack? This is a man at his peak, about to sign what is likely to be the most lucrative - and final - contract of his career. It's a big decision not to be taken lightly, and Hummels probably ought to weigh up all the options, both in Germany and abroad, before making up his mind.

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