Friday 29 April 2016 18:54, UK
Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel is disappointed his captain Mats Hummels wants a transfer to rivals Bayern Munich but says there is still unfinished business this season.
Defender Hummels' second-placed team still have an outside chance of winning the Bundesliga, although Bayern only need one win from their final three games to clinch their fourth successive league title.
And Dortmund also have their Munich rivals in their sights for the German Cup final, which the two will contest at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on May 21.
Hummels has put in a request to leave Dortmund at the end of the season, saying he wants to return to Bayern, but the reigning Bundesliga champions have yet to make an offer for the 27-year-old defender.
"We have known about this since yesterday," Tuchel said on Friday. "Mats told us about his wish yesterday, and I am happy that the initial situation is very clear, we can work with that.
"There is no further waiting, Mats knows what he wants. The decision hasn't been made yet. The clubs and officials are in charge now.
"It would be a loss to the quality of our team [if he goes] and the decision disappoints us."
Hummels joined Dortmund in January 2008 from Bayern, where he had only made two first team appearances. He has since played 297 times and scored 25 goals for Borussia.
He has also played 46 times for Germany, scoring four times, and was part of the 2014 World Cup-winning side in Brazil.
Tuchel added: "It is not the time to be moral about it. I am always looking forward and we can handle this situation. I am still his coach and we will support Mats in every situation.
"We have got to accept that there are bigger clubs than Dortmund. FC Bayern is one of these but we won't stop challenging them. We want to win the DFB-Cup with Mats Hummels.
"We will make sure that Bayern aren't one step ahead on the field. And we will continue doing so in the next year."
The fans will be very disappointed if their captain leaves after so many years. That he wants to join Munich makes it even worse.
He continued: "The fans will be very disappointed if their captain leaves after so many years. That he wants to join Munich makes it even worse. But we still want to achieve our goals this season with Mats.
"The transfer isn't completed, it is still just a wish. So I don't care too much. We hope the fans won't hate him too much.
"I don't think Mats didn't trust our philosophy or how we try to achieve things. But it is a signal if our captain leaves us.
"But there are plenty of players who are ready to give everything for Dortmund. We will continue our work to get a competitive team. At the moment Mats Hummels is still a Dortmund player with a contract.
"We are planning our squad and such things can happen. We will come back stronger out of this situation. Last week we planned the preparation for the next season. We are really looking forward to it.
"Of course we plan to recruit several players, we are still negotiating. We will have a top team next year."
