Dortmund: Mats Hummels has snubbed Man Utd, will see out contract

Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc revealed to Kicker magazine that the club had reached “a clear consensus” with the defender’s father and advisor Hermann Hummels.

The 26-year-old has decided to serve out his contract, which runs until 2017 - a major coup for Dortmund, who had feared their captain would follow coach Jurgen Klopp out of the door this summer.

“It was legitimate that Mats has been thinking about his future, but I have always pointed out that we plan our future with him,” Zorc told Kicker.

United are believed to have made a €40 million (£28.5m) offer for a player who has long been linked with a move to Old Trafford.

There is as yet no indication as to whether Hummels will extend his contract beyond 2017, meaning Dortmund could still try to sell him in a year’s time to extract some kind of transfer fee.

But a move to United this summer is completely off the agenda after Dortmund secured a firm commitment from the World Cup winner.

What a shame for Van Gaal. He has been after a world class, ball-playing centre-back and Hummels seemed to fit the bill perfectly. With Dortmund's struggles this season it seemed the perfect time for him to leave, with Franz Beckenbauer recently urging him to do just that.

But Hummels is nothing if not loyal and presumably felt he could not abandon his club in their time of need. An admirable, if rare scenario in football. All praise to Hummels, then, but it's back to square one for United.