No offers for Sahin as Dortmund look to keep stars

AFP, Sunday 1 May 2011

New Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund are optimistic of keeping their stars for next season after the club's director of sport said Sunday they had received no offers for Turkey midfielder Nuri Sahin

Nuri Sahin

Dortmund secured their seventh German league title on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Nuremberg and are looking to keep their young squad intact for next season's Bundesliga and Champions League campaigns.

"When and if the issue arises, we will concern ourselves with it, but for now, that is not the case," said Dortmund's Michael Zorc on German television channel Sport1 when asked about interest in Sahin.

"We must expect that some of our players are coveted by big European clubs, but our goal is to keep our workforce."

Real Madrid had been reported here to be interested in signing Sahin, but Dortmund have safe-guarded their squad by signing up all their rising stars on long-term contracts.

Dortmund play-maker Sahin, 22, has a contract until 2013, but his contract has an exit clause if a club offers at least six million euros for him.

Germany defender Mats Hummels is signed up until 2014, as are national team-mates Marcel Schmelzer, teenage wunderkind Mario Goetze and Kevin Grosskreutz.

Coach Jurgen Klopp, 43, has also been signed up until 2014.

Short link: