“?Bayern Munich star Mats Hummels admits he is expecting to be jeered upon his return to the Signal Iduna Park next weekend when Bayern take on Borussia Dortmund in the DFL-Supercup, Goal.com reports.
Hummels, 27, joined an ever growing list of talented players to cross the divide between Westphalia and Bavaria when he rejoined Bayern Munich for a reported fee of €35m in May.
The likes of Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze – who has since returned – have incurred the wrath of the passionate Dortmund fans for their apparent treachery in joining their illustrious rivals. And Hummels, speaking at his first press conference as a Bayern player, says he is not expecting that to change when he makes his hotly-anticipated return next weekend.
“The boos from the Dortmund fans will come but it won’t change my appreciation [of them and the club],” he told reporters on Saturday. “The game will be very special for me.
“The decision to move took a lot of strength and it gave me a headache for several weeks – it was a long and difficult process.
“Dortmund and Bayern are the only clubs I’ve played for but Bayern are one of the best three teams in the world and have the chance to win everything every year. In the end, that was the decisive factor.”
And despite being considered one of the best three clubs in the world, the Bundesliga champions have largely refrained from engaging in the recent trend of paying inflated transfer fees.
However, Bayern’s purchase of Renato Sanches from Benfica could reportedly reach up to €80m in add ons and Hummels’ own €35m move raised a few eyebrows. But the 27-year-old believes those fees should be expected for “good players.”
He added: “Of course, the amounts are very high but when there is so much money floating round, it is understandable that there is this kind of transfer fee. For good players you just have to give more.”
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