Mats Hummels tells Dortmund he wants to leave for Bayern Munich

With Hummels' contract running close to its end - he is out of contract in the summer of 2017 - there has been intense speculation about his next club going back months, with the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal all linked with a bid.

But it now seems that the decision has been made, with the official club website reporting that Hummels told the club this week that he has made his decision.

No bid has yet been made, but assuming that the switch goes ahead Bayern would have the German central defence and goalkeeper in their side.

Hummels has been at Dortmund since 2009, and was a key member of the Jurgen Klopp-led side which won back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012, and which reached the Champions League final in 2013.

But unlike some of the other high-profile transfers between the two rivals, Hummels has legitimate grounds to make the move: he first joined Bayern when just six years old, and came through the ranks with the club before moving on after failing to break into the first team.

Yet the move will still cause rancour, as any such transfers between the two sides do. Already on social media the defender is being pilloried for his outspoken comments about Mario Gotze making the same change himself back in 2013.