Jurgen Klopp has told Manchester United there is no prospect of Borussia Dortmund’s new captain Mats Hummels moving to Old Trafford this summer.
The World Cup-winning central defender has been linked with a £25m transfer to United as Louis van Gaal looks to rebuild a back-line that lost the veterans Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand at the end of last season. Last season’s Bundesliga runners-up have underlined their determination to keep Hummels by appointing him club captain after the long-serving midfielder Sebastian Kehl vacated the armband with his manager insisting the defender’s future is clear. “He is going nowhere,” said Klopp. “He is staying with us.”
Meanwhile Daley Blind has said he would consider a move to Manchester United if the club were to make a bid, with the Ajax manager, Frank de Boer, admitting the utility player is for sale at the right price.
The 24-year-old was a member of Van Gaal’s Netherlands squad that finished third at Brazil 2014 and can play either on the left side of defence or as a holding midfielder.
Blind said: “I am happy here in Amsterdam. But if there comes another club I will have to think about it and then we will see. I will think about my options. For now I will focus on Ajax and we will see what happens next week.”
While Van Gaal wants at least one left-side defensive player to fit into his proposed 5-3-2 system, De Boer, does not believe Blind is ready to leave the club yet. “I am convinced he will make the right choice,” said De Boer. “If he goes to a big club then he has definitely deserved it. But I think it would be better if he stays one year. Last year was a good year for him but I think he can improve a lot with us.
“If a club comes along with a lot of money it is almost impossible to say no. But we won’t let him go for free that is for sure. It is important for the player and the club that there is no tension or that it happens at the last minute.”
United striker Ángelo Henríquez has joined Dinamo Zagreb on loan, the Croatian side announced on Monday.
The 20-year-old Chilean failed to make an appearance for the Red Devils following his arrival from Universidad de Chile two years ago. He spent five months on loan at Wigan in his first year in England and last season went to Spanish second division side Real Zaragoza, where he scored six times in 25 appearances.
“I am happy with my arrival at Dinamo, with whom I want to do good things,” Henríquez told the Croatian club’s website. “I have a lot of motivation and I want to prove myself and I believe Dinamo is a great club for it.”
