Dortmund ´relaxed´ over Reus and Hummels renewals – Kehl

Borussia Dortmund remain “relaxed” over the contract situations of Marco Reus and Mats Hummels, according to sporting director Sebastian Kehl.

Reus and Hummels have both become Dortmund greats after long periods of service, but have just one year remaining on their contracts with the Bundesliga giants.

Since Hummels joined Dortmund – initially on loan – in January 2008, no player has matched his tally of 312 Bundesliga appearances for the club, despite the defender departing for a spell at Bayern Munich between 2016 and 2019.

Reus, meanwhile, is fourth on that list with 243 league appearances, and his 108 Bundesliga goals are the most by any player in that time for BVB.

Both players were part of the squad that reached the 2012-13 Champions League final, a side that also featured current sporting director Kehl. 

Speaking to Sky Sports, Kehl expressed confidence both Germany internationals would pen new deals, saying: “We are relatively relaxed about it. We have a very, very high level of trust. 

“We know that a few contracts will expire next year. And Marco and Mats are very, very important for this club. 

“They have helped shape this club in recent years, they stand for this club and bring an incredibly high level of identification with them: Marco as our captain and Mats as second captain.

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“We will discuss this together in due course. We approach it very calmly, we have an incredibly high regard for these two players. 

“I believe that they can also be very relaxed in this situation. Because in the end we all want to be successful. For that we need good performances, for that we need Mats and Marco.”

But speaking to Ruhr Nachrichten on Wednesday, Hummels, who started 20 Bundesliga matches during an injury-affected 2021-22 campaign, expressed his belief he must earn any new deal with the club.

“I want to help the team and not just be a weight,” the defender said. “I even recently said to sporting director Sebastian Kehl that I wouldn’t be renewing with me at the moment.”

Dortmund have reinforced their defence with the signings of Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Sule.