Watzke: No bitterness over Hummels switch

Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke insists there is no bitterness over Mats Hummels’ transfer to Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich.
After informing Dortmund of his desire to return to his boyhood club in April, Hummels’ switch to Bayern was confirmed on Tuesday.
Hummels was booed and whistled in the 5-1 win over Wolfsburg at Signal Iduna Park after revealing his intentions, but was treated less harshly away at Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend.
The transfer has not embittered Watzke, who is hopeful that the centre-back will be given a positive send-off by the Dortmund faithful, though he is unsure whether the player will take part in a farewell following the match.
“A positive reception is the hope and desire I have. There were no more whistles in Frankfurt. There is no reason for bitterness, we respect his decision, even if it is very unfortunate,” he told reporters.
“We will discuss with Mats whether to have a farewell. Normally this is common, but the season does not end on Saturday with the match against Cologne. We do not want to give the impression after the game it is all over.”
Watzke believes Hummels and Dortmund have benefitted from their relationship, adding the undisclosed fee paid by the Bavarian side is “a large sum”.