Red Devils dealt blow in bid to land Serbian centre-back.
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Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund are understood to be happy to welcome back unwanted Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa when the transfer window opens in January, but the German outfit will not consider a swap deal involving defender Neven Subotic, according to the Daily Mail.
The hugely talented Japan international has been with the Premier League champions for just over a year now, with Kagawa arriving at Old Trafford from Dortmund last June on a four-year deal for a fee believed to be somewhere in the region of £16m.
And, it is fair to say that the playmaker’s debut campaign with the Red Devils did not quite go according to plan, with Kagawa featuring in a total of 26 matches in all competitions for the Premier League giants, scoring six goals in the process, all of which came in the top flight.
However, the 24-year-old’s time in the north west was disrupted by a knee injury which he picked up early on last season, and despite the departure of previous United head coach Sir Alex Ferguson from the club last summer, Kagawa’s first-team opportunities have not increased under the Scot’s successor in this campaign.
But even though Dortmund are keen to re-sign the Japanese in the new year, they will not entertain the possibility of Serbia international Subotic moving in the opposite direction.
“Jurgen [Klopp] would love to have Kagawa back at the club and had made it clear the door is always open for him,” said a source close to Dortmund.
“Shinji was quite emotional when he left and said he didn’t want to go but couldn’t turn down the chance of playing for United. Now it seems to have turned sour, he would be welcomed back with open arms.
“But United can forget about Subotic. When it was put to the powers that be, it was rejected out of hand. Klopp doesn’t want to lose him. He’s only 24, despite all his experience, and is an integral part of the team.”