Borussia Dortmund to Use Mats Hummels as Make-Shift Forward if World Cup Winner Re-Joins Club

Mats Hummels will be used in a 'double-role' if he completes a move back to Borussia Dortmund this summer, meaning the 30-year-old will be played both as a striker and a centre-back.

The German international joined rivals Bayern Munich in 2016 for a fee of around €35m, though he found himself out of the team for large periods last season due to the emergence of Niklas Sule. That has seen Hummels linked with a switch away from Bavaria, with Die Schwarzgelben amongst the sides rumoured to be in for him.

Bild report that a €20m offer from Dortmund should be enough to prise him away from the Allianz Stadium, a transfer that would see him occasionally deployed further upfield.

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The Bundesliga runners-up were believed to be scouring the market for a new forward to bolster their attacking options, as well as a centre-back to help bring stability and reliability to the backline.

However, they may be able to kill two birds with one stone by bringing Hummels back to Signal Iduna Park, with the World Cup winner capable of playing as an auxiliary striker given his power and presence in the box.

He clearly knows how to find the net having scored 25 goals in 309 appearances for Dortmund, a respectable strike rate for a defender. Hummels would certainly give opponents something to think about if he were allowed to lurk in the danger area, posing a different threat to that of Marco Reus or Paco Alcacer.

So, how likely are we to see the colossal German spearheading BVB attacks? Well, multiple reports say a deal is all but done, with Hummels taking a €2m-a-year wage-cut to ensure the transfer goes through smoothly.

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Another welcome bonus is that the Bayern man provides vast amounts of experience and leadership qualities on top of his positional flexibility, which are essential for helping a youthful Yellow and Blacks squad continue its development.

The side suffered a devastating collapse as the title race neared its conclusion last term, allowing a nine-point lead to slip as Die Roten secured a seventh league triumph in a row. Had Hummels been there to steady the ship and keep everyone focused, they may well have been celebrating instead of Munich.