Borussia Dortmund have stressed that they have yet to reach any agreement with Bayern Munich over Mats Hummels amid growing suggestions the Germany defender could sign a new deal at the Westfalenstadion.
Hummels, 27, has just over a year remaining on his current contract and Dortmund issued a statement last week confirming that their captain was keen to re-join Bayern.
However, the two clubs have yet to reach an agreement over a fee, and multiple reports in Germany on Friday said Hummels would now prefer to remain at Borussia, where a new contract until 2021 is waiting to be signed, according to kicker.
On Wednesday, Hummels -- who was booed during Dortmund's win over Wolfsburg at the weekend -- was questioned by fans at the club's training facilities on the Adi-Preissler-Allee.
Footage of the conversation, which was later posted on Instagram, showed Hummels telling Dortmund supporters that "nothing is decided yet" as well as complaining that the "sh---y announcement" from the club created a false impression, adding: "I don't know why that had to be done."
However, Dortmund, the only German club listed on the stock exchange, were legally obliged to issue the ad-hoc statement because the probability of the event happening had outweighed the improbability, and CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke stressed that it had not been a matter of choice.
"Mats does not practise law," Watzke told the dpa news agency. "He does not need to know when we have to publish an ad-hoc message. From his point of view, I can absolutely understand his lack of understanding. We would have preferred it too if we had not been forced to publish it."
Dortmund have already said that the transfer fee, reported to be around €40 million, is "non-negotiable" and Watzke added: "A Bayern bid is not necessary.
"They are aware of our demands and have to inform us whether they want to meet them. First of all, Mats has to be up for a transfer."
There are now serious questions as to whether Hummels does remain keen on the deal, with both Suddeutsche Zeitung and kicker reporting on Friday that, although his family are keen on a return to Munich, the player himself would prefer to continue his career at Dortmund.
Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel was asked about the situation at his news conference on Friday morning but said: "I can't tell you anything new."
Last weekend, Hummels, who left Bayern for Dortmund as a 19-year-old, had strongly rejected former Bayern president Uli Hoeness' suggestion that the defender had made the first move in his proposed transfer back to the Allianz Arena.
"That's the biggest load of nonsense I have ever heard," he said.
The Suddeutsche report also claimed that Hummels has doubts as to whether the hierarchy at Bayern is fully behind the proposed deal and that he was concerned by speculation claiming incoming Bayern boss Carlo Ancelotti is keen to sign Real Madrid's Raphael Varane.