Borussia Dortmund centre-back Mats Hummels has signed a new contract that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2016-17 season.
The 23-year-old s previous deal with the Bundesliga champions ran until mid-2014, but Hummels has now inked a three-year extension to his existing contract.
As soon as the club approached me and asked if I would like to extend, I knew immediately that I want to continue being part of this team, which is so successful and is so much fun to be in, he said.
Sporting director Michael Zorc added: We are pleased that a key player like Mats Hummels has signed a new long-term deal. He s not only very important defensively, but plays a key role in our build-up play as well.
Coach Juergen Klopp was equally pleased with the defender s contract extension, as Hummels had plenty of other options.
Mats Hummels could have joined pretty much every team in Europe, but has opted to stay at Dortmund instead. This is an outstanding development for the club, Klopp said.
Mats is a highly-intelligent player in terms of winning tackles and closing people down and I don t know anybody across the whole continent who does it as well as he.
Hummels joined Borussia Dortmund from Bayern Munich in January 2008, and has since become a key player.
The Germany international has made 121 Bundesliga appearances to date, scoring 12 goals.
He joins the likes of Felipe Santana, Patrick Owomoyela and Mitchell Langerak in penning new deals with the club.
