World Cup winner Mats Hummels looks to be on his way out of Borussia Dortmund, but Premier League clubs have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of the defender.
Borussia Dortmund have taken the step of announcing on their official site that the player has expressed a desire to join rivals Bayern Munich.
Hummels has been a target of Manchester United for some time, while Liverpool were linked with a move for the German following the arrival of former Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp.
The Bundesliga title challengers have reiterated that Hummels remains under contract until 2017, and that Bayern are yet to make a concrete offer for him.
Hummels started his career with Bayern but only played one league game before moving to the Westfalenstadion in 2009.
He won two titles with Klopp’s Dortmund and was on the scoresheet as Die Schwarzgelben lost on aggregate to Liverpool in this season’s Europa League quarter-finals.
It remains to be seen whether the announcement regarding Bayern dissuades Hummels’ English suitors, or whether the 27-year-old’s desire to leave Dortmund tempts United or Liverpool to come in with a bid of their own.