Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels has admitted that while he is flattered by interest from Manchester United, he is not interested in leaving his current club.
The Guardian reports that the German defender will not be motivated by any large pay packet that the likes of United can offer, and instead he prefers to lead his team of 'underdogs' to success - because it means more.
Speaking to Bundesliga Magazin International, he said: “It’s nice to hear that big clubs like that are interested in you. I take that as a compliment but it doesn’t influence me in any way, otherwise. We earn enough here in Dortmund.
“There will always be someone who can pay more than BVB but Dortmund have made a lot of progress during my time here. In any case I believe it’s enough for me. If one day I start thinking about playing abroad, money won’t be the reason. I don’t even think about that at the moment. We still have so much further to go here.”
While he started out at Bayern Munich, Hummels looked towards the impact of one club men who have gone on to success over the course of their careers. He admits that after six years with the club he is looking to stay on and win more trophies with Jurgen Klopp's side.
He continued: “There are some [who stay at one club for their whole careers], and they are all really great players. Paolo Maldini of Milan, for example, or Steven Gerrard. I would have been so happy for him if he had won the championship with Liverpool. [Lionel] Messi always plays for Barcelona. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Müller, too, will perhaps play in Munich for ever.”
“People often speak about the Dortmund ‘project’ in that context but I don’t really like that word. It’s too unemotional and sounds so technical. I’ve been here for six and a half years and it’s simply more exciting and more difficult to win trophies as an underdog.
“Everybody can win things with 25 superstars in the squad. At BVB, every single player has more responsibility but also more opportunity. It’s difficult to win trophies with Dortmund but it’s always possible. And when it happens, the feeling is simply indescribable.
“When we won the championship for a second time in 2012, each one of us could have gone wherever we wanted. But I thought: ‘No, what we have here is something truly unique.’ I’m happy I felt this way. You don’t often find a team where people are really friends with each other. If you’ve got the chance to play at such a high level with your mates you have to hold on to that for as long as possible.”
