Mats Hummels' father has described Manchester City as an "interesting" option for his son and labelled the club's incoming boss Pep Guardiola as "the best coach in the world".
Hummels' contract at Borussia Dortmund expires at the end of next season and there has been a lot of speculation this week - most of it driven by his father and agent Hermann - regarding his next move.
On Friday, Hermann talked up City's prospects for next season, with Bayern Munich boss Guardiola set to replace Manuel Pellegrini at the helm at the Etihad Stadium.
Hermann told SID: "Manchester City could be interesting.
"They were not so good this year, but they will be [Premier League] champions next year. They are getting the best coach in the world."
Bayern had also been mentioned as a possible destination for the Germany international but Hermann said his quotes had been taken out of context.
"I only said Mats wanted to play for a top club," he added. "And then I was asked if Bayern belonged to those clubs.
"It would have been ridiculous if I excluded them. I also could have said Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, PSG, Man City or somebody else."
Hummels came through the Bayern youth system but made just one senior appearance before joining Dortmund, initially on loan, in 2008.
He has since established himself as one of the best defenders in the world but Hermann insists his earlier rejection by Bayern would not preclude a move back to the Allianz Arena.
He added: "There are no hard feelings left, you do not take that personally. This is business. Sometimes it gets rough and then it is gone.
"It is really nice for him at Dortmund but you still get the idea to do something else. He is thinking hard about it and playing abroad is always an option."
Guardiola was asked if Bayern would be interested in Hummels' services at his news conference on Friday but played a straight bat, stating it was "not a question for him".
Bayern press officer Markus Horwick added: "Hummels has a contract with Dortmund until 2017. That should be respected and that's all I can say about it."
